Le Grund Guêpier ver/ ei bleu à gorge jaune, Month, torn. cit. )i. 502 (1779).
IJP Guêpier à tête jauni-, Month, torn. cit. p. 510 (1779).
Merops congener, Gmcl. Syst. Nat. i. p. 161 (1788) ; Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii. pt. 1, p. 155 (1811).
Merops ehrysocephalu», Gmcl. torn. cit. p. 163 (1788) ; Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, pt. 1, p. 170 (1811) : Vieill. Nouv.
Diet. xiv. p. 25 (1816).
Le Guêpier vulgaire, Lcvaill. Hist. Nat. Gucp. p. 2 1 , pis. 1, 2 (1807).
Merops flavicans, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii. pt. 1, p, 159 (1811).
Merops apiarius, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. 2, p. 173 (1825).
Merops hungarite, C. L. Brehm, Yog. Deutschl. p. 1-16 (1831) ; id. Vogelfang, p. 50 (1855).
Merops elegans, C. L. Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 50 (1855).
Guêpier vuigaire, French ; Abelharuco, Melharuvo, Portuguese; Abcjaruco, Spanish ; Gruccione, Italian; Kirt-elnahal,
Maltese; Schegagh, Arabic; el Leeamoon, Moorish; europäischer Bienenfresser, German; /Heeder
Danish ; liiiitare, Swedish ; Tschur, Russian.
Figura? iiotabiles.
D'Aulienton, PI. Eni. 9 3 8 ; Werner, Atlas, Alcyons, pl. 1 ; Kjicrb. Orn. Dan. taf. 1 3 ; Frisch, Yog. Deutschl.
taf. 121, 122 ; Fritsch, Vbg. Eur. taf. 14. fig. 1 ; Naumann, Vug. Deutschl. taf. 143 ; Sundcvall, Svensk.
Fogl. pi. 70. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of Eur. pL 5 9 ; i d . B. of G. Brit. ii. pi. 9 ; Bcttoni, Ucc. Lomb. pi. 104;
Dresser, !i. of Europe, v. pi. 295.
HAH. Southern Europe, Africa, and South-wcstcm Asia.
S ad. supra saturate eastancus, scapularibus et dorso postico toto dilutioribns, fulvescentibus : fronte et superciliis
albis viridi-eyanco lavatis : regionc paroticâ et torque guttural i ni gris : tcctrieihus alarum superioribus
ferè castancis, minimis saturate viridibus : priiuariis viridihus, scapis brunncis, pogonio iutemo versus apiccm
nigricantc : sccundariis basin versus castancis, apiec nigrieantîbus, dorsalihus viridibus: caudà supra viridi,
subtùs griscil, scapis rufo-bruuneis : gulâ genisque lsetè flavis : corpore subtùs cyaneo-viridi, subalaribus
fulvesccntibus : rostro uigro : pedihus fuscis ; iride rubra.
Jav. supril sordidior, dorso postico ct uropygio surdidc cyaneo-viridibus, scupularihus cyaneo-griscis vis viridi
tinctis : caiidä niagis cyaucâ, et rcetriribus ccutralibus ucc clongatia : gulâ sordide ilavâ ct torque gutturali
vix indicato : corpore sublùs surdidè cyaneo-viridi.
Adult male (Seville, 5th May).—Crown, hind neck, and upper part of the back deep chestnut,
becoming paler on the back, the colour being deepest in tone on the crown ; a broad frontal band,
extending over the eye, white at the base of the bill and otherwise pale bluish green; back pale
chestnut, much lighter on the rump ; upper tail-coverts very pale green ; primary-quills glossy
blue-grcen, tipped with black ; secondaries chestnut, broadly terminated with black, the inner
ones washed with bluish green, the elongated innermost secondaries being entirely bluish green;
longer and central wing-coverts chestnut, the smaller ones being bluish green ; scapulars creamy
straw-coloured ; tail green with a bluish tinge, the two central rectrices elongated and attenuated ;
a line passing below the eye and inclosing the ear-coverts and another across the lower throat
deep black ; throat and cheeks rich yellow ; rest of the undcrparts glossy greenish cobalt, becoming
paler on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under wing-eovcrts buff ; under surface of the tail
blackish grey; bill black; feet pale reddish brown; iris carmine-red. Total length about 10
inches, culmen 1 0 , wing 5 9 , tail 5*0, tarsus 0-15.
Adult female (Casa Vicja, 6th May).—Closely resembles the male, but is, if any thing, a trifle
duller in colour and a trifle less in size,
not hold good. " specimens, however, these differences do
Young (S. Africa, 21st October).—Differs from the adult in having the upper parts duller;
the chestnut extends only to the fore part of the back, the rest of the back and rump being dull
bluish green ; scapulars bluish grey, with a faint greenish tinge; tail more blue in tinge than in
the adult and nearly even, the central feathers not elongated ; throat of a paler and duller yellow
than in the adult, the black band across the lower throat scarcely indicated ; rest of the undcrparts
paler and duller than in the adult bird.
Obs. The variations in the series of specimens I have examined are not great, consisting chiefly
in the intensity of shade of colour, those from Africa being, as a rule, more richly coloured than
examples from Europe. In both males and females the length of the central rectrices varies
considerably, and, so far as I can judge, the older birds hove these feathers longest. In some
specimens the black band below the eye is bordered below with pale turquoise-blue: this is to a
slight extent noticeable in a female from Casa Vieja, and much more so in a female from Abyssinia,
whereas in an example from the Caucasus there is a very clearly defined broad pale blue line
below the black band, and the frontal band is entirely pale blue. The females vary also much in
intensity of colour, and in a large series it is impossible to separate the sexes. Mr. Seebohm
(Brit. B. vol. ii. p. 324), in bis usuul anxiety to try and make every one believe that bo alone
of all naturalists is infallible, says that I " fail to point out the most important characters which
distinguish the male from the female." Had he taken the trouble to examine a series instead of
blindly adopting Naumann's views (Vug. Deutschl. v. p. 4G6) respecting the difference in the
sexes, lie would have seen that in a series flic sexes cannot with certainty he distinguished by any
external character. I have now before me five carefully sexed females and six males, and find
that some of the males have the central rectrices shorter than the females, and in one female from
Shiraz they are as long as in any male I have examined. As regards the chestnut on the back,
there is a trace of green on several examples of both sexes, and in one female from Abyssinia and
another from Spain there is no trace whatever of any green in the chestnut; and, indeed, both
these females are as richly coloured as any male in the series. Thus in a series the characters
cited by Naumann and Mr. Seebohm, viz. that the female " has the two central tail-feathers not
so long, the plumage is not so brilliant, and the chestnut on the liack is hi many places suffused
with green," will not hold good.
I may add that, in both sexes, I find there is a variation in the colour of the tail, it being
much greener in some birds than in others, and some examples vary considerably from others in
the intensity of shade of colour of the underparts.
I n measurements the variation is, on the whole, not much, but African specimens are somewhat
smaller than European-killed examples. The variation in size of those I have measured is—
culmen l ' S - l ' d , wing 5-6-61, tail 4*l-5-0, tarsus 04.
TEIS, the common European Bee-eater, is generally distributed throughout Southern Europe,
is equally numerous in Northern Africa, ranging even into South Africa, as far south as the C
Colony, and in Asia it is found as far cast as the North-west Provinces of India. As a stragj