THE WORLD'S BIRDS. 7 



FOOD. Insects, usually captured on the wing ; especi- 

 ally bees and wasps. The indigestible parts are 

 cast up in pellets. 



GAIT. They move about very little, usually sitting 

 quiet on a perch ; on the ground they have a 

 shuffling walk. 



FLIGHT. Very graceful and easy, swift, with frequent 

 intervals of sailing. 



DISPOSITION, HABITS, ETC. They are sociable and 

 lively birds. They dust themselves, and bathe by 

 splashing into water. 



NOTE. A chirp or whistle. 



ECONOMIC QUALITIES. They are destructive where 

 bees are kept, but elsewhere are very useful, and 

 are some of the most ornamental birds in existence. 



CAPTIVITY. They will live in confinement, but need 

 a great deal of care, and have not bred. The 

 Common Bee- eater (Merops apiaster) is the only 

 species which has been kept in England. 



DISTRIBUTION AND IMPORTANT SPECIES. The species 

 of Bee-eaters, of which there are about three 

 dozen, inhabit the warmer parts of the Old 

 World ; one occasionally visits England, the Com- 

 mon Bee-eater (Merops apiaster}, of Southern 

 Europe, a migratory species ; the small Green 

 Bee-eater (M. viridis), is one of the most familiar 

 birds in India, and is there commonly called 

 " Flycatcher." It is the most widely spread of 

 the family, ranging from North-East Africa to 

 . Cochin China. The large red species Merops 

 nubicus is well known in Africa, and locally called 

 " Fire-bird." 



