72 



MEROPID^. 



These birds feed on the wing, on animal food; 

 they build their nests on the ground, or construct 

 them of mud or similar materials, when placed in 

 elevated situations : they are thus subdivided into 

 families : 



Beak short, weak ; ill cal-^ ^ tt t i 



- , - , . , . I f HiRUNDiNiD^, Leach, 



culated tor catch iriff their V i ^ 



i I Caprimulgid^, Vigors, 



prey ...... J ^ ' ^ 



Beak long, strong 3 well ) i Todid^e, Vigors, 

 adapted for catching their > Halcyonid^, Vigors, 

 prey ) ( Meropid^e, Leach. 



FAMILY L—MEROPIDiE. 



Rostrum capite longius, basi crassum subtrigonale, mtegrum, sub- 



arcuatum, subulatum, acuminatum; aXse attenuatce ; pedes ^re*- 



vissimi, tetradactyli. 

 Beak longer than the head^ thick, and somewhat triangular at the 



base^ entire, slightly arcuated, subulated, and pointed ; voings 



slender and acute ; legs very short, four- toed. 



GENUS XL.— MEROPS, Linne. BEE-EATER. 



There is but this one genus yet discovered belong- 

 ing to the present family : the species all subsist upon 

 insects, chiefly bees and wasps : they build their nests 

 like the Kingsfishers. None of them have hitherto 

 been observed in America. 



Some latitude must be allowed to the division of 

 this genus hereafter proposed, the intermediate tail- 

 feathers of the males being usually somewhat longer 

 than in the females. 



A. Rectricibus intermediis elongatis, 



A. With the middle tail-feathers elongated. 



