MEROPS, in ornithology, a genus belonging to the order of picx. The bill is crooked, flat, and carinated; the tongue is jagged at the point; and the feet are of the walking kind. 1. The sparrow, or bee-eater, has an iron-coloured back; the belly and tail are of a bluish green; and the throat is yellow. This bird inhabits various parts of Europe, on the continent, though not in England; yet is said to have been seen in Sweden, and flocks of them have been met with at Anspach in Germany in the month of June. They are now and then seen in Lorraine, though only in pairs; and are not unfrequent in other parts, since Kramer talks of their building the nest in the sandy crags of the Danube. They are met with in Italy and the south of France; and in Candia and other islands of the Mediterranean, they are in plenty, as well as in Palestine and Arabia, being very common in the woods about Yemen, where they are called Schaghagha. It takes the name of bee-eater from its being very fond of those insects; but, besides these, it will catch gnats, flies, cicadæ, and other insects, on the wing, like the swallow. Willoughby tells us, from Belon, "that its singular elegance invites the Candy boys to hunt for it with cicadæ, as they do for those greater swallows called scavits, after this manner:—Bending a pin like a hook, and tying it by the head to the end of a thread, they thrust it through a cicada (as boys bait a hook with a fly), holding the other end of the thread in their hands: the cicada, so fastened, flies nevertheless in the air; which the Merops, spying, flies after it with all her force; and catching it, swallows pin and all, where-with she is caught."—This bird is said to be in most plenty in the isle of Candia; and, in defect of insects, to eat seeds of many kinds; and Ray supposes, from its similarity to the kingfisher, it may possibly feed on fish. Most probably some think it good to eat, as Willoughby saw many of them exposed for sale in the markets of Rome. These birds make their nests in deep holes in the banks of rivers, like the sand martin and kingfisher, at the end of which the female lays from five to seven white eggs, rather less than those
of a blackbird. The nest itself is composed of moss. 2. The viridis, or Indian bee-eater, is green, with a black belt on the breast; and the throat and tail are black. It inhabits Bengal. 3. The congener is yellowish, with a green rump. It inhabits the south of Europe. 4. The superciliosus is green, with a white line both above and below the eyes, and a yellow throat. It is found in Madagascar, where the natives give it the name of Patricich Tirich. 5. The cinereus is variegated with red and yellow, with the two longest quill-feathers of the tail red. It is a native of Mexico. 6. The erythropterus, or red-winged bee-eater, is in length six inches; the bill is one inch, and black: the upper parts of the head, body, wings, and tail coverts, are green brown, deepest on the head and back, lightest on the rump and tail coverts: behind the eye is a spot of the same, but of a very deep colour: the quills and tail are red, tipped with black; the last two inches in length: the throat is yellow; the under parts of the body are a dirty white; and the legs black.—This inhabits Senegal, from which place a well-preserved skin was brought by M. Adanson. (See fig. A.) 7. The wattled bee-eater (fig. B.) is the size of a cuckoo, in length about 14½ inches. The feathers on the upper part of the head, being longer than the rest, give the appearance of a crest; those of the under part are smooth; the plumage for the most part is brown; the feathers are long and pointed, and each feather has a streak of white down the middle; under the eye, on each side, is a kind of wattle, of an orange colour; the middle of the belly is yellow; the tail is wedge-shaped, similar to that of the magpie, and the feathers are tipped with white; the bill and legs are brown.—This bird is supposed to be peculiar to New Holland. There are 14 or 15 other species.