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the lower throat. There are a few other minor differences in

colour between the young and the adult, for the bird is adorned

with quite a number of beautiful tints of yellow, blue, green, etc.

The unhealthy craving of ladies for bright colours, no matter at

what cost of avine life, causes countless numbers of these and

other Bee-eaters to be slaughtered. Doubtless, locally, perhaps

especially in Spain, the Common Bee-eater kills quantities of

honey-bees. But in many or most hot climates the number of

other bees, and of wasps and hornets of spiteful and vindictive

natures, not to mention locusts, and other hurtful creatures, is

so great that some districts would be practically uninhabitable if

it were not for the splendid services of the Bee-eaters of various

species. The tiniest Bee-eater will unhesitatingly pursue and

capture the largest hornet, killing and rendering it innocuous by

banging it against it’s perch, and by passing it sideways back¬

wards and forwards between it’s tight-closing mandibles. These

latter close together with a spring, like the two jaws of a steel-

trap or gin, so that, when the bird is preening it’s feathers, the

snip, snip, snip, of the mandibles as they close upon one another

after passing along the feathers is incessant, only to be out-done

by the tap, tap, tap, bang, bang, bang, of the side of the bill

against the perch, as it knocks the life out of numberless

imaginary wasps and hornets, the slightest atom of food or drop

of water on the bill setting it going like an “alarum.” The

place of the Bee-eater in the Economy of Nature is very

important.


The immature Bee-eater is mostly green above, and lacks

the elongated central tail-feathers and the black band across the

lower throat. In both the first and second feather, judging by

my birds, the forehead is light yellow instead of white, and the

iris dark brownish. Towards the end of February, in a good

light, traces of the prospective change in the colour of the iris

were perceptible ; perhaps, if the light had been better, they

might have been detected earlier.


The bill, which appears to be black at all ages, is slightly

curved, sharp pointed, and long—considerably longer in the

adult than in the inmature bird. After the birds have been

excavating, it is usually much worn away, especially where the

soil has been hard and sun-baked ; but it grows again to it’s

normal length during the off season. Probably, like the Black

Lark engaged on her nest-hollow (Vol.V., p. 170), the Bee-eater,

when tunnelling, works the bill sideways, though perhaps not

with a full right-and-left movement, I think this is probable

from what I have seen of the habits and movements of my



