MEKOPS APIASTER. 133 



castings of the old birds, the nest being, as it were, lined with the 

 wings and undigested parts of bees and wasps. Vast quantities 

 of eggs and young must be annually destroyed by snakes and 

 lizards : the latter are often seen sunning themselves at the 

 entrance of a hole among a colony of Bee-eaters ; and frequently 

 have I avenged the birds by treating the yellow reptile to a charge 

 of shot. The bills of Bee-eaters, after boring out their habita- 

 tions, are sometimes worn away to less than half their usual 

 length ; but as newly arrived birds never have these stumpy bills, 

 it is evident that they grow again to their original length. It has 

 often been a source of wonder to me how they have the strength 

 to make these long tunnels ; the amount of exertion must be 

 enormous ; but when one considers the holes of the Sand-Martin, 

 it is perhaps not so surprising after all. 



During my stay at Gibraltar, Bee-eaters decreased very much 

 in the neighbourhood, being continually shot on account of their 

 bright plumage to put in ladies' hats. Owing to this vile fashion, 

 we saw no less than seven hundred skins, all shot at Tangier ill 

 the spring of 1874, which were consigned by Olcese to some 

 dealer in London. However, the enormous injury these birds do 

 to the peasants who keep bees, fully merits any amount of 

 punishment; but at the same time they destroy quantities of 

 wasps. After being fired at once or twice, they become very 

 wary and shy at the breeding-places ; and the best way to shoot 

 them is to hide near the colmenares, or groups of cork bee-hives 

 (corchos), which in Spain are placed in rows sometimes to the 

 number of seventy or eighty together ; and it is no unusual thing 

 to see as many Bee-eaters wheeling round and swooping down, 

 even seizing the bees at the very entrance of their hives. 



The reason of their early departure in August is to be accounted 

 for by the simple fact that bees cease to work when there are no 

 flowers, as by that time all vegetation is scorched up. 



Bill long, pointed, slightly curved downwards; iris red. Forehead white 

 next bill, then a bluish tinge ; crown rich chestnut ; chin and throat rich 



