2 74 BEE-EATER. 



Peninsula it swarms from the beginning of April until the latter part 

 of August. It visits the Canaries and Madeira, and is common 

 throughout the basin of the Mediterranean and in North Africa, while 

 in winter it is found as far south as Cape Colony. In Egypt, though 

 it is abundant on migration, comparatively few remain to breed, 

 the representative species being the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, M. per- 

 siais. Eastward it ranges to North-western India during the cold 

 season, and through Turkestan to the Altai Mountains in summer. 



The Bee-eater generally breeds in colonies, like the Sand-Martin, 

 and banks by the side of rivers or dried-up watercourses may be seen 

 honeycombed with its excavations, commenced soon after arrival ; 

 the bill of the bird being sometimes worn down by the operation. 

 In the great plains below Seville holes are often bored diagon- 

 ally or even vertically in the ground; and as the shafts vary from 

 three or four to eight or nine feet in depth, the eggs, placed in a 

 small chamber at the end, are not obtained without labour. These, 

 generally 5-6 in number, are laid upon the bare earth, though after- 

 wards surrounded by castings and the wing-cases &c. of coleopterous 

 insects ; they are pure glossy white, nearly globular in shape : 

 average measurements i in. by -9 in. Though sometimes found by 

 the end of April, the middle of May is the usual time, and only one 

 brood appears to be reared in the season. Sacksfull of birds are taken 

 in Spain by spreading a net over the face of an occupied bank and 

 pouring water into a parallel trench cut at some distance back ; for 

 the Bee-eater is hated by the peasants, owing to the ravages inflicted 

 upon their numerous hives, although it also destroys large numbers 

 of wasps, locusts, grasshoppers, beetles and other insects. The 

 flight is light and undulating ; the note is a sharp qidlp. 



The adult male has the lores and ear-coverts black ; forehead 

 white followed by a pale green band ; head, neck, upper back, 

 and a broad bar on the secondaries, chestnut-brown ; remaining 

 wing-feathers chiefly bluish-green ; lower back tawny-yellow ; tail 

 green, the two elongated central feathers tipped with black ; throat 

 bright yellow followed by a black band ; under parts greenish-blue ; 

 bill black; feet reddish-brown. Length 10 in.; wing 6 in. The 

 female is greener on the back, duller in colour, and has the central 

 tail-feathers shorter. In the young the latter scarcely project ; the 

 upper parts are greenish-brown, and there is no black gorget. 



An identified adult example of the Blue-tailed Bee-eater, M. 

 philippinus, is said to have been shot near Seaton Carew, Northum- 

 berland, in August 1862. 



