BEE-EATER. 



365 



tree, or the swift in the crevice of the steeple. If 

 again the bird builds in holes of the earth, especially 

 in holes bored so deep as those of the bee-eaters, the 

 bird works to a temperature still lower than that of 

 the birds which build in lofty situations ; but though 

 the general temperature in those hole-building birds 

 is lower than in any other summer breeders, it is 

 much more uniform, and the bird may be said to 

 have less labour in the incubation, very much in the 

 same proportion as it has more in the excavating of 

 the nest. And we find very striking differences in 

 the development of life in the eggs, answering to 

 those differences of what may be called the average 

 temperature of the nesting places. This will be fur- 

 ther considered in the article BIRD ; but still as the 

 genus under notice may be considered as one of the 

 extremes, a short glance at the differences may be 

 useful here, upon the well-known principle that the 

 mention of a law is most effective when accompanied 

 by a practical case which proves its existence. 



Now, if we compare the birds which have been 

 mentioned, we shall find that there are striking differ- 

 ences in the rate at which the young are developed, 

 and also in the texture (when matured) of that por- 

 tion of the structure of birds which appears to require 

 most labour in the development, namely,the feathers. 

 The length of time during which the incubation lasts, 

 until the young break the shell, is not very clearly 

 determined, even in the species to which allusion has 

 been made ; but the state of the young birds at that 

 time is satisfactorily known. 



The partridge and plover come out of the shell in 

 full activity, and may be said, in part at least, to find 

 their own food in the very same hour. It is true 

 they do not come out of the shell as fliers, neither 

 can they be said to be fledged ; but they run very 

 rapidly, and have what may be called an infant cloth- 

 ing of down, which protects them from changes of 

 temperature in their non-age, as completely as they 

 could be protected by feathers. 



The rook comes forth of the shell callow and in a 

 helpless .state, so that it would perish if it were not 

 fed by the parent bird, and in the early stage if it 

 were not sheltered by that bird during the night. 

 Its feathers are not preceded by a downy coat ; but 

 first appear like little tufts issuing from those sheaths 

 in which they are produced! Tho young rook is 

 accordingly fed by its parents for a considerable time, 

 and does not "branch" or perch apart from the nest 

 for a week or two, neither does it take flight, or in 

 anywise provide for itself until it is fully fledged. 



The bee-eaters, and, in common with them, all the 

 order or group to which they belong, and all birds 

 which build in deep holes of the earth generally, are 

 much less matured than even rooks are when they 

 come out of the shell ; and they continue still longer 

 in the nest, and are fed there by the parents. Indeed, 

 as compared with young birds which are met with in 

 nests on the surface of the ground, or even above it 

 in trees, and whether the nests be of rude or of com- 

 pact structure, the young of the hole-building birds, 

 and especially of the bee-eaters, have the appearance 

 of being immature and untimely productions. Their 

 very limbs seem rudimental ; and the only part of 

 them that gives evidence of being complete is the 

 mouth, and the rest of the alimentary system. They 

 have no down on them, neither is there any farther 

 appearance of the future feathers, than little dimples 

 at the places whence they are to issue ; and to see 



them in their then naked condition, one ignorant of the 

 appearance of the mature birds, would never suppose 

 that those naked and helpless little things would in 

 time become clothed in nature's very gayest attire, 

 and fearlessly cross the ocean on lusty wing. 



When, however, we come to look at the plumages 

 of the three different kinds of birds which we have 

 mentioned, we find a very beautiful confirmation of 

 that general law both of nature and of art, according 

 to which the result is always valuable or elaborate 

 in proportion to the time and the efficient labour 

 bestowed on the preparation of it. The feathers on 

 the partridge and the plover, are downy or loose and 

 spongy ; they are also easily ruffled, and subject to be 

 turned and even torn by the wind, while rain soon 

 wets them. They are also in a great measure cloth- 

 ing feathers only, and can bear up the bird merely in 

 short and apparently laborious flight. The feathers 

 of the rook are more compact} and the rook can 

 accordingly take moderately long flights, remain a 

 considerable time in the air, and bear the violence of 

 the weather, at least to a much greater extent than 

 surface building birds can do on the wing. But still 

 the plumage of the rook gets sadly torn when the 

 season is boisterous and it has to range farther than 

 usual for food ; and if the rain descends heavily the 

 rook cannot keep the sky, but seeks a perch on the 

 nearest tree, or if there is no tree at hand, it descends 

 und crouches in the shelter if it can find one, or 

 stands huddled together facing the wind if there is 

 none. The bee-eaters have their plumage far more 

 compact than the rook, and also far more firm, both 

 in respect of stiffness and toughness ; so that, range 

 where they may, and be the weather what it will, i'- 

 is not subject either to be ruffled or torn. 



Thus the deep burrowing, the low temperature, 

 and the slow incubation and long infancy of the bee- 

 eaters all conduce to a certain purpose, a purpose 

 which, according to the properties of matter, and the 

 laws according to which nature acts in tempering 

 that matter to the various organs of living creatures, 

 appears to be indispensable for fitting the birds for 

 that office which they perform. It seems that a 

 feather of the best substance cannot be produced 

 hotbed-wise, but must have time, and also uniform 

 temperature, and temperature not too high. It 

 appears that the action of the sun, alternating with 

 the cold of night, would tear asunder the delicate 

 tissue of vessels which is necessary for this firm struc- 

 ture of feather ; and therefore the birds avoid them 

 by burrowing in the ground ; but in proportion as 

 these feathers are formed under less violent action 

 they require longer time ; and then, when they are 

 once matured, they stand in much the same relation 

 to feathers of hasty growth, as steel which has been 

 long beaten on the anvil does to cast iron. They 

 are so tough they cannot easily be broken, and so 

 elastic that they instantly spring back to their posi- 

 tion when bent. These properties apply not merely 

 to the shafts of the feathers but to the fibres of their 

 webs ; and thus, from the mere consideration of the 

 feathers we might conclude, that in their ordinary 

 habits the birds must have some arduous labour to 

 perform ; and we might further conclude that feathers 

 of so elaborate a growth cannot afford to be moulted 

 twice in the year, which last (as well as the first) is 

 confirmed by observation. 



We are thus to consider the bee-eaters, which are 

 very numerous in species as well as in individuals, 



