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THE PIC A RI AN BIRDS 



Celebean 



not always select a bank into which to bore the hole destined for its nest, for we 

 found one flat piece of sandy ground perforated with numberless holes, into which 

 the birds were diving and scrambling like so many rats. ' ' 



In the island of Celebes is found a peculiar species (Mesopogon 

 forsteni), characterized by having the two central tail feathers elon- 

 gated, as in the genus Merops, but with a bunch of overhanging 

 plumes on the breast. The color of the bird is green; the quills being dusky at the 

 ends, the central tail feathers green; but the rest chestnut with green edges; the 

 head, throat, and breast are deep ultramarine; the hind-neck maroon brown; 



BLUE-BEARDED BEE-EATER. 

 (One-half natural size.) 



the abdomen dusky blackish, washed with green, and the under tail coverts chest- 

 nut with green margins. The total length is thirteen inches. The species is only 

 found according to Dr. Meyer, in dense forests difficult of access, where it inhabits 

 the highest trees, and has the manners and ways of other bee-eaters. 



The two species constituting the genus Nyctiornis are distinguished 



_ _ not only by the tufts of feathers on the breast, but also by the squared 



tail and densely- feathered nostrils. The blue-bearded bee-eater (-A^. 



ashertoni] is an Indian bird, extending east to Siam, but replaced in Tenasserim and 



the Malay region by the scarlet-bearded bee-eater (N. amicta), a beautiful species 



with the long feathers of the throat scarlet instead of blue, and the forehead lilac 



instead of bluish green. This species is said by Mr. Whitehead to be fairly com- 



