i8o THE BIRDS OF BERKS AND BUCKS, 



early part of the present century. Another, which 

 was. shot at Lacey Green in the year 1838, is in 

 the collection of the Rev. B. Burgess. Mr. Burgess 

 had told me of one which was killed at Aston 

 Abbots in 185 1. More recently, specimens have 

 been captured near Chesham. A fine specimen of 

 the Hoopoe was killed about two miles from Buck- 

 ingham during 1867, and is now in Mr. J. W. 

 Thorpe's possession. 



Tribe — FiSSiROSTRES. Family — Meropid^. 



Bee-eater {Merops Apiaster). I am glad to be 

 able to include the handsome Bee-eater in the present 

 catalogue, and I am indebted to Mr. R. B. Sharpe for 

 the notice of its occurrence. I cannot do better than 

 give an extract from his letter to me on the subject. 



*In these days it is indeed hardly credible that 

 such a rare and brightly-plumaged bird as the Bee- 

 eater could have been allowed to proceed so far 

 inland as Berkshire ; how much more incredible, then, 

 will it appear, when I tell you that one of these 

 beautiful birds not only came so far, but actually 

 lived for some time unmolested ; yet Mr. Briggs 

 informs me that Mr. Frost, head-gardener to the 

 Hon. G. Fortescue, at Dropmore, informed him that 

 a Bee-eater visited the gardens there in 1866, and 

 remained there some days. He would on no account 

 allow the bird to be molested, and it used to sit on 



