The Bee-Eater. 



41 



Family— MJ-: A' ( VV/:>. F. 



EXTREMELY beautiful as this Ijird is, it is unfortunately neither a 

 common nor resident species with us. On tlie Continent its distribution 

 does not frequently extend so far to the north as Northern Germany, whilst in 

 Russia it is not known to breed above lat. 52 J", it lias nevertheless straggled 

 northwards even to within the Arctic Circle : to the south of Europe, however, it 

 is a regular summer visitor, being extremely abundant in Spain, the Mediterranean 

 basin, and North Africa; it also visits Madeira and the Canaries. To Eg3'pt it 

 appears to be chiefly a visitor on migration, although a few pairs remain there to 

 breed : it winters in South Africa. Its Asiatic range extends in summer through 

 Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, and Cashmere, and wlien on migration it visits 

 Afghanistan, North-western India, and Sind. 



This species has generally occurred in Great Britain and Ireland during the 

 spring migration, and usually in small flocks ; its visits have been most frequent 

 to the southern counties both of England and Ireland, but three or four examples 

 have been reported as having been taken in Scotland. 



The adult male has the forehead close to the bill white, shading at the back 

 into a belt of viridian green ; crown, nape, and front of mantle chestnut ; lower 

 mantle paler, shading into tawny 3'ellow on the back and rump ; scapulars whitish. 

 Wings variable blue-green ; quills tipped with dark brown ; secondaries broadly 

 belted with chestnut ; tail bluish-green, the two central feathers tipped with black ; 

 lores and ear-coverts black ; cheeks greenish-blue ; chin and throat 3-ellow, bounded 

 by a black collar ; under parts from collar glistening greenish-blue ; bill black : 

 feet reddish-brown ; iris red. The female nearh- resembles the male, but is slightly 

 duller and has the two central tail-feathers shorter. The young are much duller, 

 chiefly greenish-bi'own above, the tawu}' 3-ellow of the back and rump are replaced 

 by pale green, and the chestnut is wanting : on the under parts the black collar 

 across the back of the throat is wanting : the tail-feathers are also barely longer 

 than the others. 



The Bee-eater is essentially a gregarious bird : not only when on migration. 



Vol. in H 



