THE BEE-EATER. 3 



The Bee-eater is one of the few species of 

 European birds which are recorded as nesting a 

 second time in their winter home. There are 

 a few others, such as the Quail and the Common 

 Chimney- Swallow, which have been said to rear 

 another brood in their winter quarters ; but, in 

 the case of the two last-named species, some 

 reasonable doubt may be entertained. For in- 

 stance, the Quail of South Africa, which, until 

 quite recently, was supposed to be the same as 

 the Quail of Europe, has lately been demon- 

 strated by Mr. Ogilive-Grant, who is now our 

 first authority on Game Birds, to be a distinct 

 form, Cotumix capensis, which is a resident in 

 Africa, so that this instance of double brooding 

 falls to the ground. 



The nesting of the Chimney-Swallow (Hirundo 

 rustica) is equally unconfirmed, for the evidence 

 of its so doing rests upon the testimony of the 

 late C. J. Andersson, who says that " in un- 

 civilized parts of Africa these Swallows affix their 

 nests to some projection of a roof or trunk of a 

 tree, or occupy cavities in rocks or banks." It 

 is true that the Chimney-Swallow passes the 



winter in South Africa, and Mr. Andersson was 



I* 



