70 BEE.EATERS KINGFISHERS. 



In the Bee eaters it is of moderate size, and slightly arcuate; in 

 the Kingfishers, long and straight, and in the Hornbills of a 

 disproportionate size, and surmounted by an enormous protu- 

 berance. 



11. The Bee-eaters^ Merops, have a moderate sized beak, 

 which is trenchant, pointed, slightly curved, without a notch or 

 tooth, and with an elevated edge ; their nostrils are partly con- 

 cealed by hairs directed forwards; the external toe is joined to 

 the middle one as far as the second articulation, and the latter is 

 joined to the external, as far as the first articulation. The Com- 

 mon, Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, i\\e only one found in Europe, 

 has a fawn coloured back, a deep marine blue front and belly, and 

 a yellow throat surrounded by black ; it feeds on insects, particu- 

 larly wasps and bees, which it seizes while on the wing. It* 

 constructs its nests in the precipitous banks of streams and large 

 rivers, into which it digs to considerable depths. 



12. The KINGFISHERS, lcedo,( Hate 3, fig. 10.) have a 

 quadrangular beak, which is long, straight, pointed and trenchant ; 

 their nostrils are almost entirely closed by a naked membrane ; 

 their legs are short, and bare to above the knee. The only 

 species found in Europe is the JLlwdo ispida,\t is rather larger 

 than a Sparrow, and is green, undulated with black above, with 

 a stripe of deep marine .blue along the back ; reddish beneath, 

 with a ribbon of the same colour on each side of the neck. The 

 American species, the tielted Kingfisher, JLlcedo alcyon, is 

 crested, and of a bluish slate colour; it inhabits all the northern 

 part of the American continent. His delight is to dwell amidst 

 the most sequestered scenes, on the borders of rivers and streams, 

 abounding in small fish and insects, upon which he feeds By 

 the broken or rocky bank of his aquatic retreat, he may be 

 frequently seen perched on some dead and projecting "branch, 

 scrutinizing the waters for his expected prey ; if unsuccessful, 

 he courses along the stream, just above the surface, and occa- 

 sionally hovers for an instant, with rapidly moving wings, over 

 the spot where he perceives his gliding quarry; in the next 

 instant, descending with a quick spiral sweep, he seizes a fish 

 with which he rises to his post, and swallows in an instant. When 

 startled from the perch, on which he spends many vacant hours 

 digesting his prey, he utters commonly a loud, harsh, and grating 



1 1. What are the characters of the Bee-caters ? What are the characters 

 ef the Common Bee-eater? What are its habits? 



12. What are the characters of the Kingfishers ? How is the European 

 Kingfisher characterised ? In what respects does the Belted Kingfisher differ 

 from the European species ? What are its habits? 



