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MEROPS PHILIPPINUS, Linn.
Philippine Bee-eater.
Merops Philippinus, Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. J p. 1 8 3 .- Ib. Gmel. Edit., tom. i. p. 461.—Lath. Ind. Ora., tom. i.
. p 27 1—Vieill. Ency. Méth. Ora., p a rti, p. 275.—Gray, Cat. of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., p art ii. sec. 1.
p t g g ib., Cat. of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson,
Esq., p. 57.—Jerdon, in Madras Journ. of Lit. and Sci., vol. xi. p. 228.—Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus.
Asiat. Soc. of Calcutta, p. 52.—Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus.-East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 86.—Layard,
Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xii. 2nd ser. p. 173.
Apiaster philippensis minor, Briss. Orn., tom. iv. p. 560. pi. xliii. fig. 1.
Grand Guêpier des Philippines, Buff. PI. Enl. 57.
Guêpier vert à queue d’azur, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., tom. vi. p. 404.
Pmppme Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn., yol. ii. p. 674,-Shaw, Gen. Zool, vol. yiii. p. 165,-Lath. Gen. Hist., vol.
iv. p. 129.
Merops Daudini, Cuv. Règn. Anim. (1829) tom. i. p. 442.
typicus, Hodgs., Gray, Zool. Misc. (1844) p. 82.
— Jammeus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xiii. p . m .-R a f f l e s , Trans. Linn. Soc.. vol. m i. p. 2 9 4 ,-G ray
and Mitoh. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 86, Merops, sp. 9.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 162, Merope,
sp. 14.
Javan Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 132.
Kachangan, Javanese, Hoi’sfield.
Biri-hiri or Barai-barai, Sumatrans, Raffles.
Berray-berray, Malays, Eyton.
Boro-putringa, Hindoos, Dr. F. B. Hamilton.
Bans-putter, Bengalese, Ib.
Putrainga, Capt. Boys. , ' , . >.
Kattalan coo room, Mai.; lit. “ Aloe Bird,” (from a fanciful resemblance in the tad of the bird to the aloe plant,)
Layard.
This species of Bee-eater, although less common than the Hurrial (Merops oin&) ,s nevertheless very
generally dispersed over the Continent of India, with the exception of Scinde and the North-Western
provinces, where I believe it is seldom and perhaps never seen i in the Madras Presidency and Ceylon it ,s
very common, and in Tenasserim and the Malay countries generally.it is still more numerous, most of
the collections from Singapore contain examples; it is also found in Java and Sumatra, an d ati name
implies, in the Philippines. It is a very fine and elegantly formed species, and ,f its markings g m H S
defined than in some other members of the genus, it must still be one of Ithe most showy ^
of its native forests, particularly when seen in such numbers as are mentioned by Mr. Jerdon in the following
note, which, as well as the others I have taken the liberty of transcribing, I have thought it but right to give
¡n flip words of the respective writers. . . _ .
“ This bird,” says Mr. Jerdon, I prefers a well-wooded country, and I have seen it m Goomsoor m open
parts of the jungle, and on the west coast occasionally in similar situations. It is ahnost always found
small parties seated on the tops of high trees, frequently among wet paddy-fields, and m general, perhaps,
a much longer circuit than the M. viridis, capturing several insects before returning to its perc .
H I on one or two occasions seen it perched on a low palisade overhanging
and then picking an insect off the surface. I once saw an immense flock of them at^aroor,Eg
(Coimbatoor district), and in the beginning of March there were many thousands M M M I E H
the loftv trees lining the road there, which sallied forth for lialf-an-hour or so, making a great cmcuit before
retuni^ig These birds were most probably those which had been spread over great part of that country
H P B to migrate into a more wooded region during the approaching hot | §
scarce Like the M. H this has a loud and pleasing sort of whistle, but more fillland
81 firs, observed this bird,” states Capt. Boys, I at Mandoo in Malwa, m
then I have seen it at Cawnpore, Sidtanpore and at Feroxepore, where, on the 1/tli of May 1846,