BEE-EATER 117 



Fam. MEROPID^. 



BEE-EATER. Merops apiaster, Linnseus. Length, 10 in. ; 

 bill, 1-5 in. ; wing, 575 in. ; tail, 4*5 in. ; tarsus, 0*4 in. 



An irregular summer migrant to England. As 

 many as twenty have been seen together at one 

 time in Norfolk (Stevenson, "Birds of Norfolk," i. 

 p. 313), and a dozen were procured in one day in 

 May 1828 at Helston, Cornwall (Rodd, "Birds of 

 Cornwall," p. 68). Dr. Moore says the Helston 

 specimens were eleven, not twelve (Trans. Plym. 

 Inst., 1830, p. 315) ; so does Couch (p. 19) ; but the 

 exact number is not material. Four others were 

 shot at Madron (Couch, p. 19). Mr. Mansel Pley- 

 dell mentions the occurrence of two in his county 

 (" Birds of Dorset," p. 60) ; and a great many are 

 stated to have been met with at various times 

 in Devonshire (D'Urban and Mathew, p. 119). In 

 Somerset a small flock appeared at Stapleton, on 

 the banks of the Frome, in May 1869, and three 

 were shot. Amongst the more recent occurrences 

 of this species in England, i.e. since the publica- 

 tion of the first edition of this Handbook, the 

 following may be mentioned : — 



One, Ingoldsby, near Bowes, July 1879 (ZooL, 

 1882, p. 149). 



One, Tetney Lock, near Grimsby, August 16, 

 1880 (Field, Sept. 11, 1880). 



Seven seen, three shot, Whitegate, Co. Cork, 

 April 1888. Two in Dublin Museum. 



One, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, May 2, 1889. In 



