OCR Text |
Show 322 AVES. EPIMAOHus, Cuv.(l) The beak of the Upupa and Promerops along with scaly or velvet feathers which partially cover the nostrils, as in the Birds of Para· dise; they are natives of the same countries, and their plumage equally brilliant. The flank-feathers of the male are also more or less elongated. , . , Upupa magna, Gm.; U. superba, Lath.;_ l ep~maque a. pare. frises, En!. 639; Vaill. Prom. 13. Black; tat! tapered, thnce the length of the body; the feathers on the flanks, elongated, turned up, frizzled, the edges of a burnished steel-blue, which also glistens on the head and belly.(2) Naturalists have distinguished the square-tailed species, PTILORIS of Sw ainson, such as, Ep. albus; Paradis. alba; Blumen. Abb. 96; Vaill. Ois. de Par. pl. 16 and 17, and better Promer. 17; Vieill. pl. 13, and better Gal. 185, which, for a long time, was placed among the Birds of Paradise, on account of the long bunches of white plumes, which decorate its flanks, the stems of these plumes being continued out, forming six filaments on each side. The body is usually of a violet black, and the feathers on the bottom of the breast have an edging or border of emerald green. _It appears, however, that there are varieties with an entirely wh:te body. The primaries of the wing are short, and much lessnu· merous than in birds generally. Epim. magni.ficus, Cuv.; Epimaque promljil, Vaill., Prom. 16. Velvet-black; tail, slightly forked; head and breast of a most brilliant steel-blue; feathet·s on the flanks, long, fringed, and black. Epim. regius, Less and Garn., Voy. de Duperr., pl. 28; Pti· loris paradisreus, Swains. A purple black; top of the head and upper part of the breast of a fine brilliant green; feathers on the flanks, rounded and edged with green. The second and smallest division of the Passerinre compre· hends those in which the external toe, which is nearly as long (1) Epimachu~, the Greek name of a beautiful undetermined Eastlndi:m bird. (2) I hardly know whether I should place the Promerar, Va.ill., 8 and 9;-the Promerup, Vaill., 11 and 12, and his Promerops sijfleur, 10, here, or near the Up. erythorltynclws. These beautiful birds of New Guinea, which are very rare in our collections, are usually deprived of their feet, which renders it impossible to claas them with certainty. PASS ERIN 1£. 323 as the middle one, is united to it as far as the penultimate articulation. We make but a single group of them, the SYNDACTYLJE, Which has long been divided into five genera. MEROPs, Lin. The Bee-eaters have an elongated beak, triangular at base, slightly arcuated and terminating in a sharp point. There is a double emar• gination on each side of the hind part of the sternum. Their long, pointed wings, and short feet render their flight similar to that or Swallows. They pursue insects in great flocks, especially bees, wasps, &c. and it is remarkable, they are never stung by them. There is a species, common in the south of Europe, but rare towards the north, the M. apiaster, L.; Guepier commun, Enl. 938; Naum. 143; Vaill., Guep., 1 and 2. (The Common Beeeater.) A beautiful bird with a fawn coloured back; front and belly of a sea-green blue; throat yellow, surrounded with black. It builds in holes excavated by itself along the banks of streams, which are from four to five feet in depth. The young birds remain a long time in this retreat with their parents, which induced the ancients to believe that the former supported the latter when worn out with age. • The two middle quills of its tail are somewhat lengthened, the first indication of a much greater elongation in the greater part of the species foreign to Europe.( 1) The tail of several species, however, is nearly square(2) or slightly forked,(3) though this sometimes depends upon their condition when killed. (1) Such are: Mer. viridis, 740, Vaill. 4;-ornatus, La.th.;-superbus, Nat. Misc. 78;-senegalfmSis, Enl. 314, and badius, 252, Vaill. 12, 13 ;-superciliosus, 259, Vaill. 19.-M. nubicus, Vaill. 5, Enl. 649; this individual had been deprived of its long quills.-M. Savignii, Vaill. 6.-M. Ctwieri, Vaill. 9, and Swains. Ill. 76, under the name of Savignii.-M. Lamark, Vaill. 10. (2) Merops pltilippinus, Enl. 57;-M. cayennensis, 454 (N.D. That it is not from Cayenne).-M. nubicus, 649;-M. erytroplerus, 318;-M. malimbicus, Sh. or bicolor, Daud. Ann. du Mus. I, lxii, and Vaill. 5, Vieill. Gal. 186;-.M. gularis, Nat. Misc. 387;-M. amictus, T. Col. 310;-.Ll'I. Daudin, Vaill. 14.-.M. coromandus, Lath. Son· nerat, Voy. 2, 105, or G. cytrin, Vaill. 11;-.Llf. quinticolor, Vaill. 15;-M. minulus, Vaill. 17;-M. Lec!Lenaud, Vaill. 18;-M. Bullock, Vaill. 20. (3) M. taiva, Vaill. 8.-...W. . urica, Swains. Zool. Ill. 8. N.D. The Merops congener, Aldr. I, 876, is not very authentic;-the cafer, Gm. is the Upupa promerops,·-the hrruiliensis, Seb. J, lxvi, 1, is most probably an Icterus;-the M. 1TUJ1'/,achus, comiculatU8, cyanops, are Gymnops;-the Mer. phrygius, cincinnatus, cucullatus, cyanops, |