MEROPOGON FORSTENI. 
FORSTEN’S BEE-EATER. 
Merops forsteni, Temminck in Mus. Lugd. ; Sehlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Merops, p. 8 (1863); Meyer, J. f. Orn. 
1871, p. 231. 
Meropogon forsteni , Bp. Consp. Gen. Ay. i. p. 164 (1850, ex Temm. MSS.) ; Gray, Hand-1, of B. i. p. 98, no. 1199 
(1869) ; Meyer, J. f. O. 1872, p. 405 ; Tweeddale, Trans. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 42 (1872) ; Gould, B. of Asia, 
part xxv. (1873) ; Meyer, Ibis, 1879, p. 58. 
Pogonomerops forsteni (Bp.), Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 132, footnote (1859-60). 
Nyctiornis forsteni (Bp.), Giebel, Thes. Orn. ii. p. 733 (1875). 
Fig ura unica, 
Gould, B. of Asia, part xxv. 
Hab. Celebes. 
$ ad. pileo, capitis lateribus et jugulo cum abdomine intense azureis : corpore supra, alis et rectricibus centralibus 
elongatis, saturate psittacino-viridibus : remigibus primariis in pogonio interno sorclicle nigro marginatis et 
eodem colore apicatis : rectricibus (centralibus exceptis) castaneis, externis vix viridi marginatis : abdomine 
imo sordide nigro : subcaudalibus sordide castaneis : rostro et pedibus nigricantibus : iride coccinea. 
2 similis, sed sordidior. 
Adult (Rurukan). — F ore part of tlie crown, forehead, sides of the head, and entire throat, 
breast, and fore part of the abdomen rich deep glossy cohalt-blue ; hinder crown, nape, and neck 
blackish brown ; entire upper parts with the two central elongated rectrices deep glossy parrot- 
green ; wings deep green, the shafts of the feathers black, the primaries internally margined and 
tipped with dull black ; tail (except the two central rectrices) deep fox-red, the outer feather 
on each side with the outer web dark dull green ; under wing-coverts white, except the border of 
the wing, which is dull green ; lower abdomen dull blackish brown ; under tail-coverts dull 
coppery brown, marked with green ; hill black ; legs dull black ; iris crimson. Total length about 
12 inches, culmen 2T, wing4’5, tail 7'1, tarsus 0‘45, central rectrices extending 2'55 inches beyond 
the lateral ones. 
Adult female . — Similar to the male, but duller in colour. 
The present species, one of the rarest of the Bee-eaters, is, so far as we know, confined solely to 
Celebes. For a long time the specimen at Leyden was the only one known to exist, and this 
