320 BRITISH BIRDS. 
feathers frequently elongated ; the tarsus is short, scaled in front and reti- 
culated behind. The hind toe and claw is shorter than any of the fore 
toes. 
This genus contains about twenty species, which are distributed in the 
southern portions of the Palarctic Region and the Ethiopian, Oriental, 
and Australian Regions. One species is a common summer visitor to 
Europe; but is only an accidental straggler to the British Islands, and 
another occasionally wanders as far as South-east Europe. 
The Bee-eaters are birds of the plains, and feed almost exclusively on 
insects, which they catch on the wing. They breed (like Sand-Martins) in 
holes in banks, which they excavate themselves, making no nest, and lay 
round, glossy, white eggs. 
