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ORD. Il. GENUS V. BEE-EATER. 

Bit, very long, fharp pointed, and curved at the end. 
Nosrriis, fmall, placed near the bafe of the bill. 
Toneuve, long, flender, and jagged at the end. 
Toss, three forward, one backward; the middle one united to the outmoft 
as far as the middle joint. 
SPECIES I. COMMON BEE-EATER. 
Pl. 43. 
Merops Apiafter. Lin. Sy/t. I. p. 182. 
Le Guépier. Brif. Orn. IV. p. 532+ 
4 

This beautiful bird inhabits various parts of Europe, and is common to the 
iflands of the Mediterranean, the coaft of Italy, and the fouth of France. It is 
faid to feed on infeéts, and derives its name from its particular fondnefs for bees. 
It is in length ten inches. Its bill is of a dark horn colour: eyes red: fore- 
head blue green: top of the head, and back of the neck, of a rich red brown 
colour: the throat yellow, and divided from the breaft by a curved line of 
black: a broad line of black paffes through the eyes: the back is of a golden 
yellow, tinged with chefnut: the fhoulder of the wing crimfon orange colour, 
fhaded with green; the fmaller wing coverts green; of the greater, part green 
edged with blue, the reft chefnut colour tipped with black; the quill feathers 
of a fine rich blue: the rump blue: the tail of a fine fea-green, the two middle 
feathers exceeding the reft in length near an inch: the breaft and belly of a fine 
blue colour fhaded with green. ‘The legs are pale red, and very fhort. 
A flight of about twenty of thefe birds was feen near Mattifhall in Norfolk, 
in June 1794, two of which were fhot by the reverend Mr. George Smith. 
One of thefe I copied from the collection of Dr. Smith, to. whom it was pre- 
fented by Mr. Thomas Talbot, of Wymondham. In the following OCtober a 
fmaller number, probably the remains of the fame flight on return, was feen 
paling over that neighbourhood. We have no account of any of thefe birds 
migrating to England before this. es 

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