302 



PASSERES. BIRDS. 



which it captures on the wing ; it is, however, inferior 

 to the swallows in power of wing. Its favourite food, 

 as is well known in all the countries which it frequents, 

 consists of bees and wasps, and it does not appear ever 

 to suffer any inconvenience from the stings of those 

 irascible insects. In reference to this power possessed 

 by the Bee-eater, and indeed by many other small 

 birds, of swallowing bees and wasps with impunity, 

 Mr. Yarrell says, " I believe that the bird pinches the 

 insect, passing it from head to tail between the points 

 of its mandibles, till, by repeated compression, parti- 

 cularly on the abdomen, the sting is either squeezed 

 out, or its muscular attachments so damaged that the 

 sting itself is harmless." That the throat and stomach 

 of the Bee-eater are not furnished with any protective 

 coat impenetrable by the sting of the bees, is evidenced 

 by the curious mode of catching these birds described 

 by Belon, as practised in the island of Crete, where 

 they abound during the summer, and referred to, 

 on the authority of the old French naturalist, by our 

 countryman Izaak Walton, in his " Complete Angler." 

 In this island the boys fasten a cicada upon a bent pin 

 or a fish-hook, which is attached to a long slender line ; 

 the insect is then allowed to fly into the air, when the 

 Bee-eaters are hawking about ; one of the latter is 

 pretty sure to dash down upon it, and is captured by 

 the concealed hook. The bird is said to have an 

 agreeable odour, and its flesh is very good. Its note, 

 which is emitted on the wing, is described as a plea- 

 sant and rich warble. 



The Bee-eater breeds in a hole, which it excavates 

 in the bank of a river, to the depth of about six inches, 

 and lines with soft moss for the reception of its eggs. 

 It is gregarious in the breeding season, as at other 

 times ; and in Southern Russia, particularly about the 

 rivers Don and "Wolga, where the birds are very 

 abundant, they dig into the clay banks of the rivers in 

 such numbers, and so close together, that the banks 

 are described by some travellers as almost resembling 

 a honeycomb. The eggs are from five to seven in 

 number, and of a pure white colour. 



THE BLUE-HEADED BEE-EATEE (Merops nubicus). 

 Of several other African species of the genus Merops, 

 the Blue-headed Bee-eater is one of the most striking. 

 It is an inhabitant of Western Africa, and measures 

 thirteen inches in total length, including the two very 

 long feathers of the middle of the tail. The plumage 

 of its upper surface, including the wings and tail, is of 

 a bright brick-red ; the breast and belly are of a fine 

 rose colour; the head is greenish-blue, with a black 

 mark behind each eye ; the tail-coverts are bright blue. 

 The tail is nearly square at the extremity, but the two 

 middle feathers project more than three inches beyond 

 the others ; these are slender, pointed, and tipped with 

 black. 



THE INDIAN BEE-EATER (Merops viridis), which is 

 an abundant bird in all parts of Hindostan, and also in 

 Ceylon, measures about nine inches in length, and is 

 of a golden-green colour above, and green beneath, 

 with the throat blue ; on each side of the head there is 

 a black band. The middle feathers of the tail are 

 much elongated. In seeking its insect prey this bird 

 exhibits the habits of the Fly-ratchers, that is to say, 



it takes up its station on the branch of a tree or bush, 

 or on some other elevated situation, from which it 

 dashes off in pursuit of any unlucky insect that passes 

 by, returning again to its perch after having made its 

 capture. Mr. Layard observed that these birds some- 

 times beat their prey against their perch before swal- 

 lowing it. This mode of procuring food appears to be 

 adopted principally in the middle of the day, for in the 

 morning and evening the Green Bee-eaters are observed 

 hawking about actively in pursuit of insects, in the 

 manner of the Swallows, and often in company with 

 those birds. They possess the power of gliding along 

 for some distance without closing the wings, so that, 

 as described by Mr. Pearson, the flight of the bird 

 consists of two parts "a rapid commencement, in 

 which the wings flap rapidly; and a quick glide, with 

 the wings and tail fully expanded. Its motion, espe- 

 cially in this latter position, is extremely elegant." Its 

 note is a loud whistling, which, however, is described 

 by Dr. Jerdon as rather pleasant. 



THE PHILIPPINE BEE-EATEE (Merops philippinui) 

 is another Indian species, which inhabits both the con- 

 tinent and islands, as far east as those from which it 

 takes its name. It is about the same size as the pre- 

 ceding species, and is of a dull-green colour above, 

 light-green beneath, with the rump and tail bluish- 

 green; on each side of the head there is the usual 

 black streak. It is commonly met with in wooded dis- 

 tricts, where it hunts in small parties, perching upon 

 trees and other objects, and dashing off over a con- 

 siderable circuit in pursuit of its insect prey, before 

 returning to its resting place. Wet places, such as 

 paddy-fields, appear to be favourite resorts of this bird. 

 Its note resembles that of the preceding species. 



THE VAEIEGATED BEE-EATEE (Merops ornatus), 

 which appears to be the only species inhabiting Aus- 

 tralia, is abundantly distributed over the whole of that 

 continent, migrating from north to south in the spring, 

 and in the opposite direction at the approach of winter. 

 It arrives in New South Wales in August, and like the 

 Swallows, is a favourite with the colonists, as the har- 

 binger of fine summer weather. This species measures 

 between nine and ten inches in length, including the 

 elongated middle tail feathers ; its general colour con- 

 sists of various shades of green ; the bill is black, as 

 are also a broad streak on each side of the head, and a 

 crescent-like band below the throat ; the throat is of a 

 rich orange-yellow colour ; the tail is black, with the 

 two middle feathers bluish, as far as the extremity of 

 the other tail feathers, where they are much narrowed, 

 the projecting portion being very slender, and black. 

 The habits of this bird resemble those of the preceding 

 species; during the day it frequents open parts of the 

 forests, and in the evening the banks of rivers, where 

 great numbers are often seen together. It breeds in 

 the sandy banks of rivers, in which it digs a hole of 

 about a yard in depth, terminating in a small chamber, 

 where the eggs, four or five in number and beautifully 

 white, are deposited on the bare sand. 



THE SWALLOW-TAILED BEE-EATEE (Mclittophagus 

 hirundinaceus] belongs to a genus which is peculiar 

 to Africa, and of which all the species have the tail 

 more or less forked. It appears to be spread over a 



