BEE-EATER. 125 



4— HURRUWA BEE-EATER — Pl. lxviii. 



LENGTH six inches and a half. Bill eight-tenths of an inch 

 long, slightly compressed, a trifle bent, sharp, and soft ; the gape 

 reaching far back, colour black ; nostrils oblong, naked ; tongue 

 long, hairy at the point ; eyes dark, with many minute feathers on 

 the eyelids; the plumage in general green, with the base of the 

 feathers cinereous ; front orange, mixed with green ; the chin black, 

 mixed with blue ; the quills black, the outer webs green ; beneath 

 dusky ; on each shoulder some beryl blue feathers; the tail consists of 

 twelve feathers, even at the end ; above green, with some black on 

 the inner margins, but of this there is very little on the two central 

 ones; beneath all are dusky; legs ash-colour; the outer toe united 

 to the middle almost as far as the first joint; hind toe very strong, 

 and as long as the lateral ones. 



One, supposed to be a male, differs. The front, nearly as far as 

 the crown, of a bright orange, inclining to red; from the gape a band 

 of black, passing through the eye, and forming a curve or crescent, 

 on each side, unites on the throat; within this the chin is clear bright 

 blue ; at the hind part the black crescent is bordered with orange 

 yellow, which finishes below the black on the breast. 



Inhabits India, and is the Hurrial or Hurryba of the Hindostanese, 

 pronounced Hurruwa; is most frequent in the Western Provinces, 

 but not found at Bengal, or at least has not hitherto been noticed as 

 a bird of that part ; is said to sing very prettily, from whence the 

 name Hurry, various, and Ba, voice. — Dr. Buchanan. 



A.— Indian Bee- Eater, Gen. Syn. Sup. 120. 2. D. parag. 2d. 



Length six inches. The general colour of the plumage in this is 

 pale green, beneath lighter ; forehead inclining to orange ; between 



