BEE-EATERS. 



219 



ever they espy the small hole which leads into the nest of wasp or bembex, they 

 place themselves close beside it, and snap up the industrious tenants on their 

 exit or arrival. The appearance of these birds in England is accidental, and 

 they are unknown in America; they are, however, common in Sicily, Italy, 

 Spain, Greece, and Turkey, whence they retire into Africa on the approach of 

 winter, appearing again in Spain, by way of Gibraltar, during the first week in 



^' 



Fig. 115.— The Throated Eek-e.\tei; {Melittopha^iis gulatu). 



April, in flocks of from forty to fifty, sometimes flying at a great elevation, 

 sometimes skimming low, and uttering a shrill whistle heard at a considerable 

 distance. Occasionally they give chase to beetles, grasshoppers, and butter- 

 flies, catching them in the air with great address. Frequently they seem to 

 haunt rivers and streams, along which they may be seen coursing up and down 

 in pursuit of their prey, and glittering in the sunshine with the most briUiant 

 metallic effulgence. 



The type of the sub-family is — 



The Throated Bee-eater {Mcliitophagns gularis). 



