Its flight closely resembles that of the Common Martin; the stomach is tolerably muscular and the food consists of small flies. The sexes cannot be distinguished by their outward appearance. Crown of the head rust-red; back, scapularies and wing-coverts deep steel-blue; wings and tail dark brown; rump buffy white; upper tail-coverts brown; under surface white, tinged with rust-red, particularly on the sides of the neck and flanks; the feathers of the throat with a fine line of dark brown down the centre; irides blackish brown; bill blackish grey; legs and feet olive-grey. The figures are of the natural size. [Illustration: MEROPS ORNATUS: _Lath._ _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ ] MEROPS ORNATUS, _Lath_. Australian Bee-eater. _Merops ornatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxv. _Mountain Bee-eater_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 18. _Variegated Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp., vol. ii. p. 155, pl. 128.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 130, pl. lxix.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 158. _Merops melanurus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 208.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 238. _Dee-weed-gang_, Aborigines of New South Wales. _Bëe-roo-bëe-roo-long_, Aborigines of the lowland, and _Ber̈-rin-ber̈-rin_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. _Bee-eater_ of the Colonists. There can, I think, be little doubt of the present being the only species of Bee-eater inhabiting Australia, since no other came under my notice during my expedition; nor have I seen examples differing from those here figured in any of the numerous collections I have had opportunities of examining, consequently the specific term of _ornatus_ long since applied to it by Dr. Latham must be the one adopted, that of _melanurus_ given by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield sinking into a synonym.