OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. ICl 



attracts its notice, when it suddenly darts off, secures its 

 victim, and returns to the same branch. At other times it 

 may constantly be seen on the wing, mostly in pairs, flying 

 just above the tops of the trees, diving and rising again with 

 many rapid turns. During flight the silvery white spot in 

 the centre of the wing shows very distinctly, and hence the 

 name of Dollar-bird bestowed upon it by the colonists. 



" It is a very noisy bird, particularly in dull weather, when 

 it often emits its peculiar chattering note during flight." 



Nest.~ln the hollow of a tree, with decayed wood as a 

 floor. 



Eggs.— T\YO or three in number ; white, rather glossy, and 

 sometimes variable in form, some being oval and pointed, 

 others being round (A. J. North). Length, 1.45 inches ; 

 breadth, 1.05 inches. 



B£E-£AT£R, 



merops ornatus, Lath. 



Mer'ops or-natus. 

 Ilerops, a bee-eater ; ornatus, adorned. 

 Merops ornatus, Gould, " Birds of Australia," fol., vol. ii., pi. 16. 

 Geographical Distributiok. — Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9. 



Key to the Species. — Green mantle ; a broad black patch on the fore- 

 neck; tail black, the centre feathers, which are elongated, washed 

 or edged with blue ; bill long, culmen sharply ridged ; feet 

 syndactyl. 



Bee-eaters are surely dangerous-like birds to the apiarists. 

 To a small extent this is so ; and we nearly always find an 

 element of evil in the so-called good ! Briefly, I may state a 

 case in their favour, because, while the bee-keeper is Hkely to 



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