30 FRIENDS OF THE AGRICULTURIST 



name from their curious habit of occasionally rolling or 

 turning over in flight. 



BEE-EATERS. 



The Bee-eater Family (Meropida) is perhaps a better 

 known group in South Africa, being more widely dis- 

 tributed than the preceding family. 



The first species is the European Bee-eater (Merops 

 apiaster), commonly known to the Boers as the Berg 

 Zwaluw (Mountain-swallow). It is of a dark chestnut 

 on the upper back, fading into pale cinnamon colour on 

 the lower back and rump. Upper and least wing-coverts 

 and tail green. Central tail-feathers lengthened and 

 pointed. Throat yellow, followed by a black band, and 

 the remainder of the under surface greenish-blue. 



It is a migrant from Southern Europe and Central 

 Asia, and is somewhat evenly distributed over South 

 Africa during our summer, being, however, scarce in the 

 Eastern Cape Colony. They hawk their insect prey on 

 the wing, being very partial to bees and wasps. 



The bird is amongst the few northern migrants which 

 breed in South Africa as well as in the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere. Eggs were taken by Jackson, W. G. Fairbridge, 

 and L. T. Griffin. They lay white eggs in holes bored 

 in the bank of a donga or river (similar to the King- 

 fishers). 



There is another migratory species from Oversea, this 

 being the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (M. persicus) from 

 south-west Asia and north-west India. This species is 

 larger than the preceding, and differs in having the upper 

 surface of a bright green colour, the cheeks dark blue, 

 and the throat chestnut. 



