86 THE BIRDS OP CALCUTTA. 



same peculiar make as those of Kingfishers, and he burrows 

 out a nest in the same manner, and lays similar eggs. Bee- 

 eaters are very nice little birds ; they are more sociable 

 than their relatives, and several sit about together ; and 

 they also breed in societies, making a regular warren where 

 they are numerous. Like Philip Sparrow, also, they are 

 among the few birds which both dust themselves and 

 bathe, which argues an intelligent appreciation of all the 

 simple pleasures open to a bird. When dusting they, of 

 course, have to settle ; but they take their bath by a plunge 

 like a swallow. They are not constant residents in Cal- 

 cutta at any rate one only notices them at certain seasons, 

 and then their pretty green plumage and graceful flight 

 make them very conspicuous. Although one of the small- 

 est of the family, being, except for his long tail, only about 

 as big as a sparrow, the Green Bee-eater is a most prosper- 

 ous species, extending from North-East Africa to Cochin 

 China. As with so many wide-ranging birds, the Bee- 

 eater's coat varies locally. In the North- West of India 

 his throat becomes more or less blue, while in Burma he 

 frequently sports an auburn cap. This is an example of 

 one way in which species arise. If the pure-green strain 

 died out on account of unfavourable conditions, the blue- 

 throated and chestnut-headed varieties would be two 

 distinct species. But of course this does not explain how 

 the different varieties arose in the first place, which is the 

 real problem of the origin of species. 



