388 CORACIIFORMES 



CHAP. 



the syrinx is tracheo-bronchial, the aftershaft is rudimentary :. 

 while there is no down in adults or nestlings. 



The flight of Bee-eaters is rapid and Swallow-like, and they 

 have a habit of sitting on dead branches or even upright sticks,, 

 from which they dart in pursuit of their prey, to return again 

 promptly after the manner of Flycatchers. They skim actively 

 over the surface of the earth, sail aloft in circles, or float with slightly 

 upturned wings in the air ; while they rest among the foliage at 

 mid-day, and not uncommonly roost in a row on some branch 

 at night. Occasionally they may be seen dusting themselves 

 like Larks. Nyctiornis is less energetic, and loves dense forest- 

 shades or woods of lofty trees, as does Meropogon ; but the 

 other forms prefer more open country, and frequent the neigh- 

 bourhood of swamps or rivers, as well as arid districts. Merops- 

 is constantly seen in flocks, Melittopliagus less often ; Nyctiornis,. 

 with rare exceptions, lives singly or in pairs. The last-named 

 sometimes will not stir even when shot at, and none of the- 

 Family are by nature shy. The note is, according to circum- 

 stances, a loud harsh whistle or a soft flute -like sound; but 

 Nyctiornis utters a deep croak, ending in a churring noise, 

 puffing out the gular plumes meanwhile and nodding the head 

 up and down. The birds are not ordinarily noisy. It is when 

 hawking in the air that the brilliant colours are most strikingly 

 displayed, the snap of the bill being at such times distinctly 

 audible ; insects are also picked off the backs of cattle, and, 

 more rarely, captured on the ground ; while Merops pliilippinus, 

 and no doubt other species, bruise their prey against their 

 perch. The name Bee -eater is well deserved, for in Spain 

 Merops apiaster is a perfect pest to the bee-keeper, catching the 

 workers as they enter and leave the hives. The indigestible 

 portions of the food are cast up as pellets, often found in the 

 nest. The four to six round, glossy white eggs are deposited in 

 holes in banks, or even in tunnels bored vertically downwards in 

 level ground, which extend to a depth of from three to ten feet, 

 Merops superciliosus and M. nubicus alone are said to make a 

 slight nest of straw and feathers, the members of this genus 

 and of Melittophagvs often forming large colonies. The flesh 

 is palatable, while the plumage is in great request for decorative 

 purposes. 



The sexes are similar, the young duller, with the rectrices 



