THE BEE-EATER. 



(M crops apiaster.) 



T F it were not for its brilliant plumage and 

 -*■ conspicuous appearance, which mark it out 

 for instant observation, and, consequently, for 

 destruction, the Bee-eater is a species which 

 might posssibly nest in England, as it has 

 been observed in the British Islands on upwards 

 of thirty occasions. Unfortunately, however, the 

 species is too much in request for British 

 collections for the bird to be allowed to live at 

 large, and its fate on reaching our islands may 

 be taken as assured. 



The Bee-eater comes to us from the south, 



after spending its winter in South Africa, and 



I 



