. The royal natural history. does not always select a bank into which to bore the hole destined for its nest, for we found one flat piece of sandy ground perforated with numberless holes, into which the birds were diving and scrambling like so many rats. 56 PICARIAN BIRDS. Ceiebean In the island of Celebes is found a peculiar species {Mesopogon Bee-Eater, forsteni), characterised by having the two central tail-featherselongated, as in the genus Merops, but with a bunch of overhanging plumes onthe breast. The colour of the bird is green, the quills being dusky at the ends,the central tail-feath
. The royal natural history. does not always select a bank into which to bore the hole destined for its nest, for we found one flat piece of sandy ground perforated with numberless holes, into which the birds were diving and scrambling like so many rats. 56 PICARIAN BIRDS. Ceiebean In the island of Celebes is found a peculiar species {Mesopogon Bee-Eater, forsteni), characterised by having the two central tail-featherselongated, as in the genus Merops, but with a bunch of overhanging plumes onthe breast. The colour of the bird is green, the quills being dusky at the ends,the central tail-feathers green, but the rest chestnut with green edges; the heaci,throat, and breast are deep ultramarine; the hind-neck maroon - brown; theabdomen dusky blackish washed with green; under tail-coverts chestnut withgreen margins; the total length is 13 inches. The species is only found, accordingto Dr. Meyer, in dense forests difficult of access, where it inhabits the highest trees,and has the manners and ways of other BLUE-BEAKDED BEE-EATER (i liat. size). The Bearded The two species constituting the genus NyctiornU are distin- Bee-Eaters. guished not only by the tufts of feathers on the breast, but alsoby the squared tail and densely feathered nostrils. The blue-bearded bee-eater{N. ashertoni) is an Indian bird, extending east to Siam, but replaced in Tenasserimand the Malay region by the scariet-bearded bee-eater {K amida), a beautifulspecies, with the long feathers of the throat scariet instead of blue, and the fore-head lilac instead of bluish green. This species is said hj Mr. Whitehead to befairiy common in parts of Borneo, frequenting the high forest, where it sitssolitary on the lower boughs of trees, making short flights after insects. Althonglithere is one statement as to its eggs having been taken from a tunnel, theblue-bearded bee-eater is believed to nest in holes in trees, having been seen tofly out of such cavities in Tenasserim.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectzoology
