302 Passeres. BIRDS. MeuopidjE, 
which it captures on the wing ; it is, however, inferior 
to the swallows in power of wing. Its favourite food, 
as is well known in all the countries whieh it frequents, 
eonsists of bees and wasps, and it does not appear ever 
to suffer any ineonvenienee from the stings of those 
iraseible insects. In reference to this power possessed 
by the Bee-eater, and indeed by many other small 
birds, of swallowing bees and wasps with impunity, 
Mr. Yarrell says, “ I believe that the bird pinches the 
insect, passing it from head to tail between the points 
of its mandibles, till, by repeated compression, parti- 
cularly on the abdomen, the sting is either squeezed 
out, or its muscular attachments so damaged that the 
sting itself is harmless.” That the throat and stomach 
of the Bee-eater are not furnished with any protective 
coat impenetrable by the sting of the bees, is evidenced 
by the curious mode of eatehing these birds described 
by Belon, as practised in the island of Crete, where 
they abound during the summer, and referred to, 
on the authority of the old Freneh naturalist, by our 
countryman Izaak Walton, in his “ Complete xVngler.” 
In this island the boys fasten a cicada upon a bent pin 
or a fish-hook, which is attached to a long slender line ; 
the insect is then allowed to fly into the air, when the 
Bee-eaters are hawking about ; one of the latter is 
pretty sure to dash down upon it, and is captured by 
the concealed hook. The bird is said to have an 
agreeable odour, and its flesh is very good. Its note, 
which is emitted on the wing, is described as a plea- 
sant and rich warble. 
The Bee-eater breeds in a hole, whieh it excavates 
in the bank of a river, to the depth of about six inches, 
and lines with soft moss for the reception of its eggs. 
It is gregarious in the breeding season, as at other 
times ; and in Southern Russia, partieularly about the 
rivers Don and Wolga, where the birds are very 
abundant, they dig into the elay banks of the rivers in 
sueh numbers, and so close together, that the banks 
are described by some travellers as almost resembling 
a honeycomb. The eggs are from flve to seven in 
number, and of a pure white colour. 
THE BLUE-HEADED BEE-EATER {Merops ntihicus). 
Of several other African species of the genus Merox^s, 
the Blue-headed Bee-eater is one of the most striking. 
It is an inhabitant of Western Afriea, -and measures 
thirteen inches in total length, including the two very 
long feathers of the middle of the tail. The plumage 
of its upper surface, including tlie wings and tail, is of 
a bright brick-red ; the breast and belly are of a fine 
rose colour; the head is greenish-blue, with a black 
mark behind each eye ; the tail-coverts are bright blue. 
The tail is nearly square at the extremity, but the two 
middle featheis project more than three inches beyond 
the others ; these are slender, pointed, and tipped with 
black. 
THE INDIAN BEE-EATER [Merops viridis), which is 
an abundant bird in all parts of Ilindostan, and also in 
Cejdon, measures about nine inches in length, and is 
of a golden-green colour above, and green beneath, 
with the throat blue ; on each side of the head there is 
a black band. The middle feathers of the tall are 
much elongated. In seeking its insect prey this bird 
exhibits the habits of the Fly-c.ntchers, that is to say. 
it takes up its station on the branch of a tree or bush, 
or on some other elevated .situation, from which it 
dashes off in pur.suit of any unluckj’’ insect that passes 
by, returning again to its perch after having made its 
capture. Mr. Layard observed that these birds some- 
times beat their prey against their perch before swal- 
lowing it. This mode of procuring food appears to be 
adopted principally in tbe middle of the day, for in the 
morning and evening the Green Bee-eaters are observed 
hawking about actively in pursuit of insects, in the 
manner of the Swallows, and often in company with 
those birds. They possess the power of gliding along 
for some distance without closing the wings, so that, 
as described by Mr. Pearson, the flight of the bird 
consists of two parts — “a rapid commencement, in 
which the wings flap rapidly; and a quick glide, with 
the wings and tail fully expanded. Its motion, espe- 
cially in this latter position, is extremely elegant.” Its 
note is a loud whistling, which, however, is described 
by Dr. Jerdon as rather pleasant. 
THE PHILIPPINE BEE-EATER [Merops pTiilippinus) 
is another Indian species, which inhabits both the con- 
tinent and islands, as far east as those from which it 
takes its name. It is about the same size as the pre- 
ceding species, and is of a dull-green colour above, 
light-green beneath, with the rump and tail bluish- 
green ; on each side of the head there is the usual 
black streak. It is commonly met with in wooded dis- 
tricts, where it hunts in small parties, perching upon 
trees and other objects, and dashing off over a con- 
siderable circuit in pursuit of its insect prey, before 
returning to its resting place. Wet places, such as 
paddy-fields, appear to be favourite resorts of this bird. 
Its note resembles that of the preceding species. 
THE VARIEGATED BEE-EATER [Merops ornatus), 
which appears to be the only species inhabiting Aus- 
tralia, is abundantly distributed over the whole of that 
continent, migrating from north to south in the spring, 
and in the opposite direction at the approach of winter. 
It arrives in New South Wales in August, and like the 
Swallows, is a favourite with the colonists, as the har- 
binger of fine summer weather. This species measures 
between nine and ten inches in length, including the 
elongated middle tail feathers ; its general colour con- 
sists of various shades of green ; the bill is black, as 
are also a broad streak on each side of the head, and a 
crescent-like band below the throat ; the throat is of a 
rich orange-yellow colour ; the tail is black, with the 
two middle feathers bluish, as far as the extremity of 
the other tail feathers, where they are much narrowed, 
the projecting portion being very slender, and black. 
The habits of this bird resemble those of the preceding 
species; during the day it frequents open parts of the 
/orests, and in the evening the banks of rivers, where 
great numbers are often seen together. It breeds in 
the sandy banks of rivers, in which it digs a hole of 
about a yard in depth, terminating in a small chamber, 
where the eggs, four or five in number and beautifully 
white, are deposited on the bare sand. 
THE SWALLOW-TAILED BEE-EATER [MelittaphagiLS 
Idrundinaceus) belongs to a genus which is peculiar 
to Africa, and of which all the species have the tail 
more or less forked. It appears to be spread over a 
