BEE-EATER. 119 



with a shade of rufous, the rest the same, but margined with cine- 

 reous white, the two middle exceed the others in length, by three 

 quarters of an inch ; legs reddish brown. 



In the female, only the forehead is yellow green ; crown rufous ; 

 the rest of the upper parts brownish green; in other things both 

 sexes are alike, except in the two middle tail feathers, which exceed 

 the rest in a greater proportion in the male than in the female. 



In young birds of the first year, the tail is rounded, or slightly 

 cuneiform, but the two middle feathers do not exceed the rest in 

 length, in either sex, till the second year. 



This bird inhabits various parts on the Continent of Europe, and 

 has been seen in Sweden, though mentioned as a rare circumstance ; 

 the same in respect to England ; but in the year 1793, a flock of 

 about twenty was seen at Mattishal, in Norfolk, and one of them 

 shot by the Rev. Geo. Smith, and now in the possession of Sir J. E. 

 Smith, M. D. President of the Linngean Society ; this flock passed 

 near the above place in June, and again on its return in the October 

 following, but in reduced numbers. The Bee-Eater is now and then 

 met with in Lorraine, though only in pairs ; but in the South of 

 France and Italy, in Candia,* and other Islands of the Mediter- 

 ranean, in the greatest plenty, as well as in Palestine, and Arabia, 

 insomuch as to serve in many places for food. It is very common in 

 Spain, and Gibraltar, appearing at the latter the first week in April, 

 in flights of 50 or 60, and the note, which is a kind of whistle, not 

 unlike that of the Whistling Duck, or more like what is used by 

 sportsmen to animate their spaniels, when beating through thick 

 covers; they often pass without stopping, and even then, though 



* It is said that the boys hunt for it here with Cicadse, as they do for Swifts, after this 

 manner : — Bending a pin like a hook, and tying it by the head to the end of a thread, they 

 thrust it through a Cicada, as anglers bait a hook with a fly, holding the other end of the 

 thread in their hands? the Cicada, so fastened, mounts notwithstanding into the air, which 

 the Bee-Eater spying, flies after it with all its force, and catching it, swallows the_pin also, 

 wherewith she is caught.— Will. Orn. 148. Gesner. Av. 540. 



