MEROPS, Lin. &C. BEE-EATER.
Bill of moderate size, sharp-edged, pointed, and slightly curved; legs short.
apiaster, Lin. &c. Common Bee-eater. Sea green, throat yellow; back yellow-ferruginous ; eye-stripe black; the two middle tail feathers elongated and acuminated. This is one of the most elegant of European birds, and, next to the roller and kingfisher, may be considered as the most brilliant in point of colour. Its size is nearly that of a thrush, being about ten inches in length, and seventeen in expanse of wing. Whether perched, or on wing. these birds utter a stridulous and somewhat disagreeable cry. They hunt for insects, especially bees, wasps, hornets, Etc. among trees, flowers, and in the open air, devouring not only the hymenopterous tribes, but gnats, flies, froghop pers, &c. The situations which they select for their nests are hills of a soft soil, the sandy banks of rivers, in which, with their feet and bill, they dig holes six feet or more in depth, and in an oblique direction, with a wide entry, and round bottom. In this last the female places a nest of
moss, laying from four to seven perfectly white eggs, about the size of those of the stare. In autumn, the fami lies unite previous to migration. They inhabit the warmer parts of Europe, and many regions both of Asia and Africa; they are numerous in Southern Russia, particu larly about the rivers Don and \Volga, whose banks are sometimes perforated to a great extent by their excava tions. In the northern regions of Europe they are of rare occurrence. On the approach of winter, they all quit their northern tracts. At the Cape of Good Hope they are call ed gnat snappers, and direct the Hottentots to the honey which the bees store up in the clefts of the rocks.