Page:The Common Birds of Bombay.djvu/61

Rh are certainly fond of bees, they do not confine themselves to that diet. The little Bee-eater has always been a favourite of mine. Wherever and whenever you meet it, it looks bright, happy, sociable and goodhumoured. No one ever saw Bee-eaters quarrelling. Indeed, they appear to be so pleased with each other's society that they always sleep together, hundreds sometimes in one tree. They are very particular about their personal appearance, taking a dust bath frequently in the middle of the road, and trimming their feathers with care. And they have a personal appearance worth paying attention to. The general colour is a vivid green, but the effect is heightened by the most tasteful little touches of other hues. The back of the head and neck are reddish golden, and there is an expressive black stripe across the eye. The chin and throat are of a fine verdigris green, bordered by a demi-collar of black. The quill feathers are reddish, and each one is tipped with black: the effect of this is very fine when the wing is stretched out in the sunlight.

Another species, which Jerdon calls The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops phillipensis), is pretty common at some places on the coast, and I have seen it in Bombay. It is a larger bird than the common kind and darker in colour.

The last family of the gape-mouthed birds with which we have to do comprises the Kingfishers, of which we have two species, perhaps I should say three. The White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), most gorgeous of all Bombay birds, is, I hope, familiar to everybody. No habit of observation is required for noticing it: it compels notice.