Ií.iB. Madagascar and adjaecnl islands ; south-west and south-eastern portions of tin; mainland of Africa.
Ai!. M. pérsico similis, sed supra saturatior : pilco viridi-iusco : linca frontali et snnerciliis albis vix viridi tinetis,
stria sub vitta nigra per oculos dúctil alba : mentó summo albo vix flavo lavato: corpore subtus sicut in
M. pérsico colorato, sed pallidiorc : rostro, pedibus et hide sicut in 31. pérsico coloratis.
Adult male (Madagascar).—Upper parts generally as in Merops persicus, but rather darker;
crown much darker, being of a coppery brownish-green tinge ; a narrow frontal line continued to
a superciliary line over the eye white, with a faint greenish tinge; the stripe below the black
patch through the eye and the upper part of the chin also white, the latter tinged with yellow ;
the cliestnut-red on the throat slightly paler than in M. persicus and broader, forming the white
stripes below the eye; underparts as in M. persicus, but rather paler; bill, legs, and iris as in
M, persicus. Total length about 12 inches, culmen 1-85, wing 5'4, tail rj'O (central rectrices
elongated and attenuated, extending 2 6 beyond the lateral ones), tarsus 0-55.
Tins species (which appears to me to be perfectly distinct from Merops persicus, although it has
by so many ornithologists been united with that species) inhabits Madagascar, Anjuan, and the
south-western and eastern parts of the mainland of Africa, and is even found in South-eastern and
"Western Africa. Hartlaub even states that it has been obtained as far north as Gaboon, and writes
(Faun. Madag. p. 32) that he compared an example obtained by Gujon and found no appreciable
difference between it and specimens from Madagascar, llcichenow records it from the Loango
coast, and Andersson from Damara Land; but a specimen obtained by the latter explorer at
Ondonga, which I have examined, I should certainly refer to Merops persicus. One, however,
obtained by Sala in Angola, as well as one obtained by Mouteiro in the same country, both of
which are in the British Museum, agree closely with Madagascar examples. Mr. Sharpc considers
that this species is not separable from Merops persicus, and writes (in his edition of Layard's B. of
S. Air. p. 97) that " notwithstanding the difference in the shades of blue and green which are to
be found in a series of skins of this Bee-eater, we believe that but one species is represented ; the
brown head which is sometimes seen, more especially in Madagascar birds, is often to be noticed
in specimens from other parts of Africa, and these brown-hcaded individuals occur along with
green-headed specimens, so that they are nothing but immature birds." In this view, however, I
cannot in the least concur ; for though it is true that the brown-headed and white-checked bird
does rarely occur in West and South Africa, together with the blue-cheeked green-headed Beeeater,
yet in East Africa the former appeal's to be the predominant species, and in Madagascar and
the adjacent islands it alone occurs, there being no trace of the existence of the Blue-checked Beeeater
eastward of the mainland of Africa.
Mr. Sharpc further states (tit supra) that Señor Anchieta obtained Merops superciliosus on
the Rio Coroca, in Mossamedes, and that it has also been sent from Benguela by Señor Furtado
d'Antas. It is also stated to occur in the Cape Colony, and I possess a specimen from the
Transvaal. Mr. Sharpc also records it as being found in Matabelc Land. Captain Sperling
obtained it in the Mozambique Channel; and Messrs. Fischer and lieichenow record it from
Zanzibar, and Mr. Nicholson (P. Z. S. 1878, p. 355) from Dar-es-Salaam, opposite Zanzibar.
Br. Kirk has obtained it on the east mainland of Africa, and I have examined specimens scut by
him from Melinda and the Pangani river, and he records it from the Zambesi. It inhabits the
Comoro Islands. Dr. Kirk says (Ibis, 1861, p. 299) that it was seen on the sugar-plantations
near Oane, on the island of Mobilla; and I have examined specimens from Anjuan which agree
very closely with Madagascar birds, differing but slightly in having the crown rather less brown
and the central rectriccs less elongated.
In Madagascar this Bee-eater is said to be very generally distributed. Mr. E. Newton says
(Ibis, 1863, p. 311) that it was " t o be seen hawking about the Hivondrona river almost daily.
On the Fangandrafrah, a tributary of the Hivondrona, I dug out a female Bee-eater from a hole
in the bank of the river, about three feet in length ; the nest was not yet made, and the bird's
beak was covered with soil, showing that she was still working at the excavation. All the
specimens, of both sexes, that we obtained were bare of feathers on their breasts and thighs, as if
incubating."
Messrs. Pollen and Van Dam write (Faune dc Madag. ii. p. 60) that they met with this bird
" on the islands of Mayotte, Nossi-be, Nossi-falie, and in Madagascar, where it is common in
places between the promontory of Ambaton, the plains of Syrangene, and along the high sandbanks
skirting the Ambassuana river. It is very generally known under the name of Saint-Esprit.
It affects the plains on the borders of the forests or the banks of the rivers, and is almost always
to be seen perched on the branches of a dead tree in the plains or clearings or on the banks of the
rivers or shores of the lakes. These birds quit their perch every minute to hunt after their prey
or fly in circles round the tree on which they were perched, uttering in a soft voice the cry cirto,
eirio, and then return to their former rcsting-plaee. They sit very upright, but this does not
prevent their dashing off and seizing on the wing with great dexterity the insects that pass before
them. They arc by no means shy, and allow themselves to be approached without showing fear.
On being fired at they return almost immediately to their former perch, and do this until shot.
These birds live in pairs and but seldom singly, but are sometimes seen in parties of from six to
twelve individuals. When nesting they congregate in colonies. When ascending the Ambassuana
wc saw, about halfway up the beautiful river, in a sort of high rampart of sand, a number of
holes surrounded by Bee-eaters, which, flying round incessantly, uttered loud cries. I told my
Antancar servants to go ashore and examine these holes; but this they refused to do, because
they were afraid of sinking in the mud which was at the foot of the rampart. Curiosity and an
earnest desire to ascertain if these boles contained nests urged me to bo the first on shore, and I
went, sinking up to my knees in the mud. As soon as my Antancars and my Bourbon Creole,
Eugene, saw me ashore, they hurried after me; hut finding it impossible to reach the holes, I had
one of my young Antancars tied to a strong rope and let down, and with a wand, to the end of
which wc had fastened a fork, he examined the holes. Unfortunately all were empty, and the
dung at the entrance showed that the young birds had flown. Meanwhile the Bee-eaters came
from all sides in large numbers and flew round us uttering lamentable cries, and approached quite
close to the young Antancar. These round holes are dug to a depth of about a metre, with an
opening about large enough to admit a woman's hand, and the chamber at the end is lined with
straws and feathers. The eggs, which are deposited about the middle of October, arc almost always
two in number, are small for the size of the bird, very fragile, and pure white. The moult takes
place in the months of April and May—at least all that we killed in these months were in
moult, the long central rectriccs being wanting, and they had lost the bright tints of their
plumage. The Antancars and Sakalaves call this bird by the name of Steirici-rico, from its
cry."
M 2