THE SEARCHERS. 



77 



upon the floor of this chamber that about the month of June the female lays her eggs, which are 

 four or six in number. It is asserted by some writers that in this chamber a nest is constructed 

 with stems of heather and lined with moss ; upon this subject we can only say that in none of the 

 holes examined by us was there the slightest trace of any nest-building materials, but in lieu thereof 

 we always found large quantities of the elytra of beetles and of the wings of bees and other insects 

 heaped together as if to form a kind of cushion, so that the young were not quite upon the bare 

 ground. Whether the male assists the female in the , process of incubation is as yet undetermined ; 



THE BEE-WOLF {Melittotheres niibkus). 



but we can vouch for it that both parents most assiduously wait upon and provide food for their 

 callow progeny. 



THE BEE-WOLF. 



The Bee-wolf {Melittot/ieres nuhicus) is recognisable from its congeners by its comparatively 

 powerful frame, strong beak, and the great length of its centre tail-feathers. The magnificently- 

 tinted plumage of this beautiful bird is deep red on the back, and rose-pink on the under side ; 

 the head, throat, rump, and centre tail-covers are blueish green ; the cheek-stripe from tlie comer 

 of the beak, around the eye to the ear, the tips of the exterior and anterior quills, and the extremities 

 of the centre tail-feathers are black. The eye, like that of all Bee-eaters, is light red, the beak 

 black, and the foot brown. This gorgeous species is thirteen inches and a quarter long, the wing 

 measures five inches and three-quarters, and the outer tail-feathers four inches and one-third ; the long 

 centre feathers are seven inches long. 



