. A general history of birds . thers, and is probably a female. 23—SUPERB BEE-EATER. Merops superbus, Lid. Orn. Sup. xxxiii. Nat. Misc. t. Bee-Eater, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 152. Shaws Zoo/, viii. 161. LENGTH nine inches. Bill black; general colour of theplumage red; the forehead, round the eye, throat, and rump blue;the two middle tail feathers are longer than the rest, and the partsso exceeding are black. This is in the British Museum, but from whence unknown ; ithas many things in common with the last described, but differsmaterially in the shape of the tail.—One of these, in the colle
. A general history of birds . thers, and is probably a female. 23—SUPERB BEE-EATER. Merops superbus, Lid. Orn. Sup. xxxiii. Nat. Misc. t. Bee-Eater, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 152. Shaws Zoo/, viii. 161. LENGTH nine inches. Bill black; general colour of theplumage red; the forehead, round the eye, throat, and rump blue;the two middle tail feathers are longer than the rest, and the partsso exceeding are black. This is in the British Museum, but from whence unknown ; ithas many things in common with the last described, but differsmaterially in the shape of the tail.—One of these, in the collectionof Mr. Francillon, had a streak of black through the eye. 24.—RED-WINGED BEE-EATER.~Pl. lxx. Merops eiythropterus, Ind. Orn. i. 274. Gm. Lin. i. rouge et vert du Senegal, Buf. vi. 507. PL enl. 318. Red-winged Bee-Eater, Gen. Syn. ii. 681. pi. 31. Id. Sup. ii. 149. Shares 175. LENGTH near seven inches. Bill black; plumage on theupper parts, wing coverts, scapulars, and two middle tail feathers,. 6/>. / /j / ■ / 7j n BEE-EATER. 141 dull green ; from the nostrils a black streak passing beneath the eye;chin and throat full yellow, beneath this a triangular patch of black;between the two a fine blue line : breast pale rufous chestnut; bellyand under wing coverts the same, but paler; quills deep cinnamon-colour, with dusky ends ; the lesser quills rufous as the breast, withthe ends black, and somewhat bifid ; all the side tail feathers rufous,with black ends, the very tips cinereous; legs black. In some specimens the under parts are dusky white. Inhabits Senegal, and other parts of Africa, likewise Abyssinia:flies very swift, in the manner of a Swallow, and is difficult to beshot. It seems to be a numerous species, as few collections broughtfrom Africa, are without containing several specimens. We likewiseobserve, that they vary in size; but how far such may arise fromvariation only, or difference of sex, we are at a loss to determine. 25—SWAL
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlatham, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1821
