9 
duced any member to bring forward the paper for which the author had 
asked. 
Mr. A. Leipneb thought that the calculation with regard to the 
quantity of carbonate of lime in water must be modified, as one fourth 
part would be lost in burning the residue to get rid of the animal matter, 
or some other plan must be devised affecting that object. He also con- 
sidered that the amount of lime varied with the climate, and he thought 
that when absorbed it was rapidly replaced by the action of sea water on 
rocks, or by fresh supplies brought down by rivers. 
Mr. George Harding, junr., then read the following paper entitled 
" A Note on the occurrence of the European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, 
near Bristol," which he illustrated by stuffed specimens : — 
The European bee-eater, Merops apiaster, is a bird of very rare occurrence in 
England, its first recorded appearance in the kingdom being in 1794, when a flock 
of twenty was seen at Mattishall, in Norfolk, one being shot. It was not observed 
again till 180?, when four specimens occurred in Cornwall. The next record we 
have of it is in 1820, two specimens being obtained in Ireland. In May, 1827* 
one was shot at Kingsgate, in the Isle of Thanet. In 1828 a flock of twelve was 
seen at Helston, several being shot. A specimen was shot near Chichester, on 
May 6, 1829. One in the Mull of Galloway, in October, 1832, this being its only 
recorded appearance in Scotland. One was killed at Brecles in the spring of 
1835 ; one in Hampshire in the autumn of 1839 ; one near Sheffield in the spring 
of 1849 (this bird was described as a beef-eater) j and one at Kingsbridge, 
Devonshire, in May, 1858. Previous to 1866 the above are all, or nearly all, the 
records we have of the appearance of the bee-eater in the United Kingdom. On 
May 5th, 1866, my attention was drawn to a small flock of these birds at 
Stapleton, and I had the opportunity of observing them for some six or seven 
hours. Four of these birds were shot, three of which are in my possession, and 
are now upon the table. When I observed them first several were at rest on the 
dead branch of a fruit tree, and the rest were hawking round for food, several at a 
great height. I was much puzzled to account for the appearance of such beautiful 
visitors, and my first impression was that the birds I saw were escaped from either 
the Zoological Gardens or from some aviary, but a few moments' observation was 
sufficient to disclose the real character of the birds. After resting a minute or so 
the whole took to flight, and the flock were all busily engaged bee hunting. As 
there were some sixteen hives of bees within about sixty yards of where I first saw 
them, and in addition swarms of wild bees all busily engaged in gathering honey 
from a large quantity of fruit tress in full blossom, the birds had little trouble in 
making captures, and they appeared quite satisfied with the quarters they had 
fallen upon, and, although three specimens were shot during the day, the rest re- 
mained in the neighbourhood till night-fall. I do not wonder that in countries 
where the bee-eater is abundant it is considered a perfect pest by persons keeping 
bees, as I am quite sure that some hundreds of bees were captured and eaten by 
the birds while I was observing them. How bees and wasps can be continually 
devoured without any injury to the birds has never been made quite clear ; my own 
