20 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS, 



Family MEROPLD^. 



Only family of the Order, same characters, 

 but only one in Palaearctic fauna. 



Several genesa 



Genus MEROPS L. 



Merops Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 117 (1758 — Type by tautonymy : 

 " merops," i.e. Merops apiaster, also by subsequent designation of Gray 



1840). 



Upper bill without groove. Nostrils rounded, basal, not quite 

 covered by feathers . First primary very short . Tail slightly rounded, 

 middle pair of tail-feathers much elongated and tapering. Nearly 

 twenty species. 



MEROPS APIASTER 



217. Merops apiaster L. — THE BEE-EATER. 



Merops apiaster Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 117 (1758 — " Habitat 



in Europa australi, Oriente "). 



Merops apiaster Linnaeus, Yarrell, 11, p. 435 ; Saunders, p. 283. 



Description. — Adult 

 male. Summer. — ■ 

 Fore -head white often 

 with a few yellow 

 feathers ; a line of 

 green feathers on fore- 

 part of crown ; rest of 

 crown and nape dark 

 rich chestnut ; upper 

 mantle paler shading 

 into golden chestnut 

 with greenish tinge 

 on lower mantle and 

 back ; scapulars paler 

 more yellowish and 



outer feathers sometimes slightly marked with blue ; rump as back 

 some feathers tipped greenish -blue ; upper tail -co verts dark green 

 tipped and edged blue ; lores, line under eye and ear-coverts black ; 

 line over eye blue edged green and a similar but short and narrow 

 line along lower part of gape ; chin and throat bright yellow, below 

 which is a narrow band of black ; rest of under -parts metallic -blue 

 or green ; tail dark metallic -green with blue edges, tips, edges of inner 

 webs and underside of feathers pale brown, tips of elongated central 

 pair blackish ; primaries tipped blackish, outer webs and portion of 

 inner webs metallic-blue on distal half and metallic-green or bluish- 

 green on proximal half, inner edges of inner webs brown ; second- 

 aries chestnut with long black tips and some bluish -green between. 



The Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster). 



