64 
Figures notabiles. 
Levaili. Hist. Nat. Gugp. pis. 6, 6 bis, 16 & 19 ; Savigny, Hist. Nat. Egypte, pi. 4. fig. 3 ; Bree, B. of Eur. iii. 
pi. to p. 162 ; Shelley, B. of Egypt, pi. vii. fig. 1; Dresser, B. of Eur. v. pi. 296. 
Hab. Southern portion of the Western Palsearctic Region, the Ethiopian Region, the south-western portion of 
the Eastern Palsearctic Region, and it ranges just into the Indian Region. 
Ad. supra kete psittacino-viridis : fronte albida, postiee caerulescente : superciliis et stria suboculari cserulescentihus, 
hac supra alho margi nata : taenia per oculum nigra : uropygio et supracaudalibus cserulescenti tinctis : rnento 
flavo : gula saturate rufa : pectore et ahdomiue caerulescenti-viridibus : suhalaribus pallide ferrugineis : 
remigihus nigricanti apicatis : rectricibus duabus centralibus elongatis et nigricanti apicatis : rostro nigro : 
pedibus fuscis : iride coecinea. 
Juv. supra saturate cseruleo-viridis, plumis vix pallidiore marginatis : rectricibus centralibus vix elongatis : linea. 
frontali nulla, et superciliis indistinctis : mento pallide flavo-cervino : gula sordide cinnamomea : corpore 
reliquo subtus pallide cseruleo-viridi, abdoruine centrali albicante. 
Adult male (Egypt). — Eoreliead and a broad superciliary stripe turquoise-blue, but the 
forehead at the base of the bill is white ; upper parts deep parrot-green, becoming bluish green 
on the upper tail-coverts, and on the wings and tail tinged with russet ; quills tipped with black 
and on the inner web margined with sooty brown ; a broad black band passes from the gape 
through the eye to the ear, and is narrowly margined below with white, below which there is a 
broad turquoise-blue stripe ; chin dark yellow ; throat fox-red ; underparts generally deep parrot- 
green ; under wing-coverts and under surface of the wings dull rufous ; under surface of the tail 
blackish grey ; bill black ; legs dark brown ; iris crimson. Total length about 11 inches, culmen 
1*8, wing 6‘1, tail 6, central rectrices extending 2T beyond the lateral ones, tarsus 05. 
Adult female (Egypt). — Closely resembles the male. 
Young (Shiraz, Persia). — Upper parts dark bluish green, much darker than in the adult, the 
feathers with paler margins ; central rectrices scarcely longer than the lateral ones ; the frontal 
blue and white stripes wanting, and the superciliary blue stripe but faintly indicated ; the black 
cheek-stripe margined below with bluish white ; chin pale yellowish buff ; throat dull light 
russet ; rest of the underparts pale blue-green, becoming very pale on the centre of the abdomen. 
Africa appears to be the true home of this Bee-eater, where it is widely distributed ; and though 
it is found in the countries north of the Mediterranean, it is there only met with but rarely, or 
as an occasional straggler. Crespon states that two examples were killed, in May 1832, near the 
mouth of the Lez, in the department of Herault, in Southern France ; and according to M. Adrien 
Lacroix (Cat. Ois. Pyr. Pran£. p. 273), one was obtained on the 3rd of May, 1859, near La 
Nouvelle, in Aude, and he subsequently received one from Cette. In Italy it is of very rare 
occurrence. The Marquis Durazzo records the occurrence of two which were obtained near 
Genoa in 1834, one of which is now in the University Museum of that town, and the other in 
that of Elorence ; and Professor Giglioli states (‘ Ibis, 5 18S1, p. 191) that one was shot at Bari 
“ some years ago.” According to Malherbe (Eaun. Orn. Sic. p. 141), a female was shot near 
