. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. ."s^k. AFRICAN nEEF-E\TEU.—Jlt<ijlu„j,i Afr, these deeply buried creatures would soom to be a matter of considerable difficulty but +hp Beef-eater manages tlie easily enougb, by fixing itsdf tiglitly on the animal's back by means of its extremely powerful claws, and working witli its strong and oddly shaned beak. 0 her animals beside oxen are sub, to the attacks of these insect foes and are equally visited by the JJeet-eater, who pnrsus his beneficial avocation withou the l
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. ."s^k. AFRICAN nEEF-E\TEU.—Jlt<ijlu„j,i Afr, these deeply buried creatures would soom to be a matter of considerable difficulty but +hp Beef-eater manages tlie easily enougb, by fixing itsdf tiglitly on the animal's back by means of its extremely powerful claws, and working witli its strong and oddly shaned beak. 0 her animals beside oxen are sub, to the attacks of these insect foes and are equally visited by the JJeet-eater, who pnrsus his beneficial avocation withou the least opposition on the part of the sufCcriiig animal. The general colour of the African Ecef-cater is a dull brown upon the whole of tho upper portions of the body, the chin, and the throat. The breast and abdomen are buff- coloured, and the u-per and under tail-coverts are nearly of the same hue The tail IS wedge-shapcl and of a greyish brown colour, warming into reddish brown on the inner webs ot the exterior feathers. The basal half of the bill is rich oran-e and the cunously squared extremity is scarlet. The length of the bird is between nine and ten inches. T H^ T^\ ?,™^, ^?. *^^ *"^^ Starlings, or ^, as thoy are scientifically termed In these birds the bill is almost straight, tapering and elongated, slightly flattened at the top, and with a hardly notch. Two examples of this group are found in Jingfand, the first and rarest of which is the ItosiMuLoujiEl) Tastcje. Although of rare occurrence in I'aigland, these birds are very common in many other countries, and in sonic parts of India are so numerous that forty or Hfty have been killed at a single shot, and they are said by the agriculturists to be hardly less destructive than locusts. Like the common Starling, the I!os(!-eoloured Pastor always flies in flocks and seems to possess many of the halnts which belong to the ;f-eaters, perching on the backs of cattle and feeding on
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectnaturalhistory
