COMMON BEE-EATER. 321 



MEROPS APIASTER. 

 COMMON BEE-EATER. 



(Plate 18.) 



Apiaster apiaster, Briss. Orn. iv. p. 532 (1760). 



Merops apiaster, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 182 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum— 



Latham, Teniminck, Naumann, Bonaparte, Newton, Dresser, &c 

 Merops huiigarise, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 146 (1831). 



The Commou Bee-eater is only an accidental straggler to the British 

 Islands. It was first recorded as a British bird (Lewin^ ' Birds of Great 

 Britain/ i. p. 28) from an example which was shot out of a flock of about 

 twenty, which was seen near Mattishall, in Norfolk, in June 1793. Since 

 then it has been obtained in all the southern counties of England, and 

 in those of Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincoln, Derby, and Pembroke. In Scot- 

 land it has occurred in Forfarshire and Aberdeenshire ; and in Ireland 

 in the counties of Wexford and Wicklow. In most cases it was seen 

 in small flocks during the months of May and June, which had evidently 

 strayed beyond their usual breeding-grounds on their spring migration 

 from South Africa. 



The Bee-eater is a regular summer visitor to Europe south of the Car- 

 pathians. It occurs as a straggler in North France, Holland, Belgium, 

 Heligoland, Denmark, Sweden, North Germany, and the Baltic Provinces. 

 In Russia it does not appear to breed north of lat. 52^° ; but in summer 

 it is found throughout Turkestan as far east as Lake Saisan and the Altai 

 Mountains. It visits the Canaries and Madeira, and is said occasionally 

 to breed there. Throughout North Africa it is principally known as a 

 spring and autumn migrant ; but many remain to breed, especially in 

 Algeria and Morocco. It is a common summer visitor to the whole of 

 South Europe, Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, and Cashmere. It passes 

 through Afghanistan, North-west Indip- and Seind on migration, and 

 winters in South Africa. 



The Common Bee-eater has no ally near enough to be confused with it. 

 If Layard is to be believed, our bird breeds during its visit to the Cape 

 Colony, which, if true, is certainly a very remarkable and anomalous 

 fact. Layard's account is circumstantial enough. He says that he himself 

 found it breeding in great abundance on the Berg river in September and 

 October and quotes the authority of Mr. Henry Jackson for its breeding 

 near Nels Poort. There is no evidence that the Bee-eater is a resident in 

 South Africa ; and if the statements above referred to really apply to the 



VOL. II. ^ 



