THE RED-THROATED BEE- EAT Ell. 



141 



this Bee-eater is so stupefied by the unwonted turmoil, and repeated explosion of fire-arms, 

 that it lies helplessly on the branch, and permits itself to be taken by hand. 



AZURE-THKOATED BEE-EATER.— Nyctwrnis athertoni. 



There is a very beautiful and closely allied species to the above bird, namely, the 

 Rose-breasted Nyctiornts, or Red-faced Night-feeder {Nyctiornis amicta), of which a 

 passing mention has already been made. This beautiful bird is a native of India, and is sup- 

 posed to feed chiefly by night, although the fact is not very clearly ascertained. In the beauty 

 and delicacy of the tints which stain its plumage, it may challenge comparison even with the 

 trogons themselves. The crown of the head is a fine lilac, and the face part of the throat, and 

 the upper part of the breast, are a bright rose-carmine. The remainder of the plumage is 

 golden green. The total length rather exceeds one foot. 



The very handsome bird which is indifferently known by the name of Bullock's Bee- 

 eater, and the Blue-bellied Bee-eater, is an inhabitant of Western Africa, and has been 

 taken in Senegal. It is a truly beautiful creature, elegant in form and very brilliant in color. 

 It is not a very large bird, being considerably smaller than the common Bee-eater of Europe, 

 and measuring only seven inches in total length, of which the bill occupies one inch. 



The upper portions of this species are light green, with the exception of the upper parts 

 of the neck, which is colored by a reddish crimson hue, the two tints merging gradually into 

 each other without any definite line of demarcation. From the gape of the mouth a black 

 stripe runs towards the back of the neck, enveloping the eye in its progress, and a small spot 

 of the same jetty hue is seen upon the tip of the chin. The throat is of the most brilliant 

 scarlet, and the breast and upper part of the abdomen are crimson like the neck. The lower 

 part of the abdomen is clear ultramarine blue, a peculiarity from which the bird derives its 

 popular name. The wings are green like the back, but the secondaries and tertiaries are 

 tipped with velvety black, about half an inch in depth. The feathers of the tail are of equal 

 length, and the bill and legs are black. 



The last example of the Bke-eaters which c 

 throated Bee-eatee (MeMttophayus gularis). 



in l»e mentioned in these pages is the Red- 

 This bird is remarkable for the singular 



