334 THE BEE-EATER. 



The voice of the Kingfisher is a peculiarly shrill and piping cry 

 that can be heard at some distance, and is not easily mistaken for any 

 other sound. 



The color of this bird is very gorgeous, and rather complicated in 

 its arrano-ement. The top of the head and back of the neck are dark 

 green, flecked with many spots of verditer blue upon the tips of the 

 feathers. The upper part of the back is also dark green, and the low- 

 er part is light violet or blue, gleaming vividly under a strong light, 

 and being very conspicuous as the bird is on the wing. The tail is 

 deep indigo, and the quill feathers of the wing are dark blackish 

 green, lightened by a brighter hue of green on the outer webs, and set 

 off by the verditer blue spots of the tertiaries. A white patch or streak 

 passes from the eye to the back of the neck, and a dark green streak 

 is drawn immediately under the white patch. The throat and chin 

 are yellowish white, and the whole of the under surfiice is chestnut. 

 The eyes are crimson, and the bill is black, with the exception of the 

 orange-tinted base of the lower mandible. The total lejigth of the 

 bird is about seven inches. 



BEE-EATERS. 



The Bee-eaters may at once be distinguished by the shape of the 

 bill, which is curved, and by the formation of the wings, which are 

 long and pointed, and give to their owners a wonderful command of 

 the air while engaged in chasing their winged prey. 



The common Bee-eater of Europe is found very frequently in 

 many parts of the Continent, and has several times been taken in 

 England. It is, however, a scarce bird in Great Britain, and is of 

 sufficient rarity to excite some curiosity whenever it is found within the 

 confines of our shores. 



The food of the Bee-eater consists wholly of insects, hive-bees and 

 others of the hyraenopterous order being the favorite article of diet. 

 In chasing these insects, which are for the most part very active of 

 flight, the Bee-eater displays very great command of wing, and while 

 urging its pursuit can twist and turn in the air with as much ease and 

 skill as is exhibited by the swallow or the roller. 



To the apiarian who resides in the same country with the Bee-eater 

 the bird is a terrible foe, as it has an insatiable appetite for the honey- 

 making insects, and haunts every spot where it is likely to meet them. 

 The hives are constantly visited by the Bee-eaters, who are ingenious 

 enough to resort to the turpentine pines for the sake of catching the 

 bees that come to carry away the exudations for the purpose of convert- 

 ing them into " propolis," or that substance with which they harden the 

 edges of their cells, caulk the crevices of the hives, and perform many 



