I04 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



Breeding habits : The Bee-Eater crosses the Medi- 

 terranean to its more northerly breeding haunts during 

 the whole of April and the early part of May. It is 

 possible that this beautiful bird pairs for life ; I remarked 

 it in pairs on migration, and the same nesting places are 

 frequented year by year. It is also a very gregarious 

 bird, and breeds in colonies of varying size. The favourite 

 resorts of this Bee-Eater are river valleys and the vicinity 

 of earth cliffs in open country ; the bird also frequents 

 deserted fortifications and earthworks. This bird lays 

 its eggs in burrows or holes, which it excavates in some 

 suitable bank just like a Sand-Martin or a Kingfisher, 

 and a new hole is apparently made each season. Many 

 burrows are made close together in the face of a sino-le 

 cliff, the colony being contracted or scattered according 

 to the extent of available bank. The burrow is made by 

 both birds, each working in turn with bill and feet, and 

 sometimes extends as much as nine feet into the solid 

 bank ! As a rule the burrows are from two to four feet 

 in depth, straight and almost horizontal, but occasionally 

 they are very tortuous, and one communicates with 

 another by a narrow gallery. In Spain the burrows, in 

 some cases, where cliffs are wanting, are sunk into the 

 level ground almost perpendicular or in an oblique 

 direction. At the end of the tunnel a little chamber is 

 formed, but no nest is provided, and the eggs are 

 deposited on the bare ground or on the wing cases of 

 insects, the refuse of the bird's food. The Bee-Eater is 

 a close sitter, and usually allows itself to be removed 

 from its eggs. The scene outside a colony is a very 

 pretty one, the birds entering and leaving their holes and 

 skimming about, displaying their rich plumage to best 

 advantage in the brilliant sun. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Bee-Eater are from five to eight or even 



