THE BLUE-BEARDED BEE-EATER. 63 



in the present species, even in the young, it is never shorter than 2*2, and 

 in the adult male it reaches 2 '7. 



The Burmese Hoopoe is very common over the whole of the plains 

 of British Burmah, and is also found in the lower ranges of hills. 



It extends through the Indo-Burmese countries to the hill-tracts of 

 Eastern Bengal ; it is found in China, in Siam and Cochin China, and for 

 a short distance down the Malay peninsula, Mr. Davison having shot it at 

 Tonka. 



This Hoopoe is found in all those parts of the country which are dry and 

 abound in ants ; it frequents alike forests and open plains, gardens and 

 waste land, and appears to be a constant resident. I have always met 

 with it most abundantly in the dry forests called " Ingdein.^ It is 

 entirely a ground-feeder, eating ants and picking them up with great 

 speed and facility by means of its long bill. The note, which is of a very 

 peculiar character, is uttered chiefly during the breeding- season from 

 February to April. When uttering it, the bird puffs out its neck and bobs 

 its head. 



I found the nest in March and April. The eggs are laid on the bare 

 wood in a natural hollow in a decayed tree ; they were three in number in 

 the two instances in which I found the nests, but there are said to be as 

 many as seven occasionally. They are of a blue colour. 



Family MEROPID^. 



Genus JNYCTIOENIS, Swains. 



455. NYCTIOENIS ATHERTONI. 

 THE BLUE-BEARDED BEE-EATER. 



Merops athertonii, Jard. $ Selb. III. Orn. ii. pi. 58. Nyctiornis athertoni, Jerd. 

 B. Ind. i. p. 211 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 103 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 73 ; Hume A 

 Dav. S. F. vi. p. 68 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 583 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 85 ; 

 Bingham, S. F. ix. p. 472. 



Description. Male and female. The whole upper plumage, wings, tail, 

 sides of the head and neck deep green ; the feathers of the forehead and 

 crown tipped with blue and the back tinged in places with blue ; a broad 

 line down the front from the chin to the breast deep blue, the feathers 

 lengthened and each one broadly tipped with ultramarine-blue ; breast, 

 abdomen aud sides of the body buff, streaked with greenish; vent and 



