85 
length. It has often been a source of wonder to me how they have the strength to make these 
long tunnels ; the amount of exertion must he enormous ; but when one considers the holes of the 
Sand-Martin, it is not so surprising after all. 
“ During my stay at Gibraltar, Bee-eaters decreased very much in the neighbourhood, being 
continually shot, on account of their bright plumage, to put in ladies’ hats. Owing to this sad 
fashion, I saw no less than seven hundred skins, all shot at Tangier in the spring of 1874, which 
were consigned by Olcese to some dealer in London. However, the enormous injury these birds 
do to the peasants who keep bees fully merits any amount of punishment ; but at the same time 
they destroy quantities of wasps. After being fired at once or twice they become very wary and 
shy at the breeding-places ; and the best way to shoot them is to hide near the colmenares or 
groups of corchos or cork bee-hives, which in Spain are placed in rows, sometimes to the number 
of seventy or eighty together ; and it is no unusual thing to see as many Bee-eaters wheeling 
round and swooping down, even seizing the bees at the very entrance of their hives. 
“ Their early departure in August is to he accounted for by the simple fact that bees cease 
to work when there are no flowers; and by that time all vegetation is scorched up.” 
As will be seen from the above-quoted notes, the present species deposits its eggs in holes 
tunnelled in banks by the bird itself, and its eggs, four or five in number, are pure white, very 
glossy in texture of shell, roundish oval in shape, and in general character much resembling the 
eggs of the common Kingfisher. Specimens in my collection average in size about 1 4 J 0 - by f ,} 
inch. 
The specimens figured are those above described, and are in my own collection. 
In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 
E Mus. E. E. Dresser. 
■ Barcelona, Spain, 8th May, 1866 (H. E. D.) . c, $ . Seville, Spain, 5th May, 1868 (II. Saunders ) . d,$ ■ 
Gibraltar, 17th April, 1874. e, ? . Casa Yieja, Spain, 6th May, 1874 (Col. Irby), f. Crimea ( Whitely ). 
g, Caucasus, 19th June, 1871 (Schmidt), h, $ . Volga, May 1865 (Mdschler). i,k, ? . Sarepta (Stader). 
l, S ■ Egypt (S. Stafford Allen), m, $ . Saconda, Abyssinia, 21st April, 1868 (Jesse), n. Damara Land 
(Andersson). o, ? . Shiraz, Persia (W. T.Blanford). p,q. Cashmere, 1868 (Jesse), r. Volga (Dr. Stader). 
s > ? • Egypt, 9th April, 1870 (Shelley), t, juv. S. Africa, 21st October, 1875 (T. E. Buckley). 
JE Mus. Tweeddale. 
a, $ . Malaga, Spain, 17th May, 1874. b, $ . Black Sea, 9th May, 1866 (Robson), c, $ . Carmel, 18th April, 
1864. d,$ . Saconda, Abyssinia, 21st April, 1868 (Jesse). e,f,g. March into Cashmere, 1865 (S. Pinwill). 
h, $ . Cashmere, 9th May, 1876 (J. Biddulph). i, $ . Byan Kheyl, 5th June, 1879. k, $ . Byan Khevl, 16th 
June, 1879. l,$. Srinuggur, 21st July, 1876 (Biddulph). 
E Mus. Gr. E. Shelley. 
a. Southern France (Shaw Kennedy), b, J . Egypt, 3rd April, 1868 ( G . E. Shelley), c, $ . Nubia, 9th April, 
1870 (G. E. S.). d, juv. Dar-es-Salaam (Kirk), e, $ . Caconda, Angola, November 1877 (Anchieta), f. Cape 
of Good Hope, 1874 (Butler), g. Durban, 1874 (Gordge). h, J . Malmsbury, Natal ( I . Van Reenan). 
i, $ . Bivato, 24th October, 1873 (T. E. Buckley) . k, l, $ . Bamangwato, 21st October, 1873 (T. E. Buckley) . 
m, «, o,p. Makalala country (Bradshaw). 
