MEROPINiE. 
Nyctiornis Swains * 
' ^° n f?> curved, and pointed, with the culmen curved, rather flattened, and grooved along the 
-jh. 
the 1 SOrtle Stance from the base ; the sides sloping and compressed to the tip, which is acute ; 
pp. ^ moderate and arched ; the nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and covered with short plumes. 
f°’U'tl beyond the base of the tail, and rounded, with the first quill half the length of the 
eill • Secon( l tind third graduated, and the fourth the longest. Tail long, broad, and slightly 
the V natec ^' Tarsi very short, robust, and covered in front with narrow transverse scales. Toes long, 
fj r ^ . Clcl 0lles unequal, the outer one the longest, and united to the second joint, and the inner to the 
cur ^ ^ le middle toe : the hind toe long, strong, and padded beneath ; the claws moderate, 
Ved > and acute. 
found, panels of the Indian Archipelago, and also on the continent of India, that the species ot this genus are 
Efty p. ee mhabit the dense jungles, and are generally seen singly or in pairs, perched on the top branches of the 
then u W ^ lere ^ey remain quietly seated watching the casual approach of an insect, which they pursue and capture, 
y return to the same perch to await the appearance of others. 
1 . 
111 * ^‘^’iCtcL ( T' 
Ustr -n. s ' ern m.) Swains. PI. col. 310., Swains. Zool 
2. ft pl> 56 - 
lCrt0ni ( J ard. & Selby), Illustr. Ornith. pi. 58. — Nyc- 
tiornis caeruleus Swains . ; N. Amherstianus Royle, III. Him. Bot . , 
Bucia nipalensis Hodgs. ; Alcemerops paleazureus Less, ; Merops ? 
cyanogularis Jerd . ; M. assamensis M c Clell, 
Mr, . 
’®)> and Bu° U ^^bhshed this genus in 1831 ( Zoological Illustrations, new series). It is synonymous with Alcemerops of M. I. Geoffroy 
° 1a Mr, Hodgson (1836). This name he changed to Napophila (1 841). 
Jul V, 1846. 
