over Southern India in the cold weather retire to the wooded hanks of this noble river to breed.
Mr. Philipps, however, mentions that he found this species breeding ' in on old rampart opposite
my house' at Muttra, in the North-western Provinces; and it probably nestles in the banks of
the Ganges and Jumna, though I have seen no record to that effect." Mr. lloldsworth, who met
with it in Ceylon, says that it is " a noisy bird, with a lofty, dashing flight, successfully pursuing
the dragonflics, and then sailing back on outstretched wings to its favourite station on the dead
branch of some neighbouring tree, where the insect is killed and swallowed. In the early
mornings of March, when there has been but little wind stirring, and the sea was as smooth as
glass, I have frequently observed these Bee-eaters hunting for insects close to the surface, and a
quarter of a mile from the shore." Col. Legge {/. c.) writes that it "prefers to frequent open
lands, plains studded with hushes near the sea-shore, esplanades, paddy-fields, swamps, and the
patnas of the hill-region. It passes a great part of its existence on the wing, in pursuit of insects,
after which it dashes with a very rapid flight, constantly uttering meanwhile its loud notes.
When reposing from its labours, it rests on low objects, such as stumps of trees, fences, low
projecting branches, little eminences on the ground, and often on the level earth itself. It is
tame in its nature, allowing a near approach before it takes wing. On rainy evenings in November
and December, when the air is swarming with insects, and particularly with winged termites,
which issue forth from their nests on such occasions, the Blue-tailed Bee-cater congregates in
large flocks on the wing, dashes to and fro for hours together, ascending to a great height in
pursuit of its prey, and keeping up its not unpleasant notes without intermission. When
exhausted with these exertions, they settle on walls, trees, or t h e ground in little parties, and
when rested resume their flight. I have seen such flocks as these night after night on the Galle
esplanade, and often observed them flying round and round high above the fort before finally
moving off for the night to some distant and common roosting-place. "When its prey consists of
beetles, dragonflics, or other large insects, which it espies from its perch, it is captured after a
sometimes prolonged flight, brought back, and killed before being swallowed by being repeatedly
struck against whatever object the bird is seated on. This may often be witnessed when the
bird is perched on telegraph-wires, which are a very favourite look-out with it. I have seen it
dash on to t h e surface of ponds and rivers, and seize insects which were passing over the water.
Mr. lloldsworth has observed it hunting close to the surface of the sea, at a distance of a
quarter of a mile from the shore. Jerdon notices its habits of congregating together, and writes
that on one occasion he saw an ' immense flock of them, probably many thousands, at Caroor, on
the road from Trinehinopoly to the Nilghiris.' They were sallying out from the trees lining the
road for half an hour or so, capturing insects, and then returning to them again. As a rule they
do not consort in close company, but live in scattered flocks of about half a dozen, and often one
or two birds constantly frequent the same locality. The note is difficult to describe. Jerdon
not inaptly speaks of it as * a full mellow rolling whistle.' This Bee-eater retires late to roost,
collecting to one spot from many miles round, and forming a large colony, which pass the night
in thickly foliaged trees or bushes. Ou Karativoe Island I discovered one of these roosting-places;
the birds were flying over from the mainland some miles distant, and continued to arrive from
various points on the opposite coast until it was too dark to distinguish them on the wing. They
resorted to the borders of a small back-water beneath the high sand hills of the island, which was
lined with mangrove-trees, the thick branches of which afforded them a safe refuge."
Lieut. Kelham, who met with this Bee-eater at Singapore, writes c.) that " they arrive
there in great numbers towards the end of September, keeping in flocks of from ten to twenty,
and frequenting low-lying ground and wet paddy-Gelds, over which they hawk for insects, at one
moment swooping down at a great pace close to the ground, the next rising high into the air and
sailing along without a move of their w ings; when at rest they are generally to be seen on some
conspicuous isolated spot, such as the top of a post or the highest branch of a dead tree. I think
I may put it down as migratory; for, on reference to my notes, made daily, I can find no record
of its occurrence except: during the wet season."
I am indebted to Captain Bingham for the following notes:—" Whenever I have come
across this bird I have found it a migrant. At Virgola, on the west coast of India, I met it in
numbers in January, but by April not one was to be seen. At Delhi and at Allahabad, in the
North-west Provinces, they similarly arrived in November, were scarce in June, and not to be
found by July and August. Again in Tenasserim, at Moulmein, and in the interior in the
Uoundraw valley, they suddenly appeared after the rains, and vanished by the end of the May
following. It seems to me more gregarious than the others, and I have observed thirty or forty,
not exactly in a flock, but sitting and hawking about over the same patch of paddy-laud. It has
a fine circling flight, during which it frequently utters its clear rolling whistle."
Like its allies, the present species places its eggs in a hole tunnelled in a river-hank. The
nest-hole is said to vary from three to nine feet in depth, and is slightly enlarged, so as to form a
sort of chaml>er at the end. No nest is made; but the eggs, which vary from three to six in number,
are usually deposited on the ground in the nest-chamber without any nest-lining ; they are rosy
pink in tinge when unblown, but when emptied of their contents are pure white and very glossy
in texture of shell, and in size measure about 0'9B by 0 8 1 inch, being somewhat large in
proportion. Captain Bingham, in a letter to me respecting the habits of this bird, says:—"At
Delhi I found their nest-holes in the banks of sandy nullahs in April, May, and June; at Kaukarit,
on the Houndraw, in April, in the banks of the Kaukarit stream, a small feeder of the Uoundraw.
The tunnel they dig is often more than 7 feet in depth, and the egg-chamber, proportionally larger
than that of the smaller species, is, unlike theirs, sometimes lined with a little grass, a few feathers,
or the wings of white ants. The eggs vary f om three to five in number, and are of course
roundish, pinky white in colour, and glossy."
The specimens figured are those described, and are in my own collection.
I n the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens :—
E Jfus. H. E. Dresser.
a,b. India; c, J . Sccunderabad, 25th November, 1869 {Marshall), d, £ ; e, 9 . Bcla Oudh, 28th A]>ril, 1870.
f,g. Ceylon {lloldsworth}. h.J. Kaukarit, Tenasserim, 18th June, 1879 (C. T. Bingham). Kaukarit,
2nd May, 1879 {Bingham), k. Java. /,ad.; ni.juv. Malacca. n,o. Negros.
E JIus. Ttceeildale.
a. Coorg. b,e. N X . India. d,t,f. Candciah. g. DcyraDoon. A,<?. Hangwella, 23rd March, 1866. i. Hangwella,
10th December, 1865. k. Hang-vella, 2nd January, 1860 {S. Chapman). l,m. Nicobars. n,o,p,q,r,s.
Ceylon (Nevill). t. Thayctmyo. a. Karen Hills, November 1874 {U'ardlaw Ramsay). v,£. Tonglioo, 1th
October, 1875. w,$. Tonghoo, 20th May, 1875 {Wardlaw Ramsay). x. Near Bangkok, Shun, 8th December,
y. Near Bangkok, Siam, 1st December, 1872. %. Monte Alban, February 1877. « , ¿ - » , 9 - Valencia,
August 1877. « , <f. Basol, July 1877. dd. Basel, October 1877. « . San Mateo, Fehraary 1877. ff.gg.
Malacca, 1873 and 1874. hh. Sumatra (Bock), ii. Sumatra (Rallaee). U.Java. //.Celebes, mm. Celebes,
•in. Lucon, 7th February, 1872 (Meyer).