are deposited on no softer nest than the chips of dead wood a t the bottom afford^ The Arabs used
frequently to catch the birds at their holes, and bring them, eggs and all, to us. Their local name is
■ i H ■ I W W k M M m f m . screaming from a
r r - - *■ - “ « - * * headthe
Hoopoe, it is a common bird round the shores of the Mediterranean ;
and after mentioning th at he had seen it at Malta, adds that he observed .t to be very abundant in Syria
and says “ In most accounts o f the Roller's habits, it is stated to he a shy bird, frequenting woods and
forests my experiences of it are exactly the reverse. On the Plain of Sharon, where the distance between
trees ii measured by ¿tiles, I have seen Rollers in the greatest abundance, their beautiful green bodies
bending the slender reeds of a swamp, apparently waiting for deluded frogs to make their appearance from
the cool depths below. I could certainly have shot twenty in a day without ex c tin g myself ■ D
Mr. Wright states th at a t Malta it I appears annually in spring and autumn, sometimes .„ small flocks of
five or six. I t is common in April or May, a few lingering till June. An instance ,s recorded o a patr
breeding in n ruined house in an unfrequented pa rt of the country. It ts often called the Jay, or Blue Jay,
bv English residents and visitors.” .. , H I
Lord Lilford informs us “ that it arrives in Corfu in great numbers about the mtddle of Aprd but onjy
remains for a few days. I t breeds on the mainland. I fonnd a nest in the walls o f a rumed house a t
Delvino in May 1857. The birds had quite lost their timidity, and flew round my head chattermg and
screaming as I approached the nest, which I suspect was an old one of some other bird I discovered
another nest in June of the same year, in the banks of the Kataito River near the village of Mursyah.
this instance the nest was in a hole in the bank, and consisted of a few twtgs carelessly put together.
D r Heuglin mentions that it is “ very numerous in October and November in the woody marshes
Somali coast. Here locusts abounded, and many birds were feeding eagerly on them. Specimens were
shot on the island of Deber in the Bed Sea on the 29th of July.” ■ _
In Savoy where it is known by the names of Jay-Parrakeet and African Jay, on account of the nuxtnre
of bine and green colouring in its plumage, and its being known to come from that country ,t appears
twice a year—in the spring from the commencement of April to the middle of May, an again rom
of August to the beginning of October, when it retires to its winter quarters: a t this latter season young
birds are mostly seen, and adults are very rare. I t generally appears one a t a time which is the reason of
its being regarded as a wild bird peculiar to Africa. In the spring it is occastonally met with in couples,
and in the autumn in small bands. During its spring passage a few remain among the
willows which border the lakes, ponds, rivers, and m arshes; here .t perches among the branches , and if
descends to the ground, it is to visit the freshly tilled fields and meadows in search of worms
crickets, snails, and small frogs. In the autumn it is more frequently fonnd in the thick wood and the httle-
frequented sides of the lower mountains ; it there feeds on larvm, caterpillars, and various kinds of insects
pulpy fruits, and berries. Vieillot says, its cry is sonorous, and the specific name of garrula, assigned to
by Linnaeus, indicates that it is a chatterer. M H H H
I t will have been observed that by some persons this bird has been described as shy and distrustful, and
by others of habits and disposition directly opposite ; I suspect that where undisturbed the latter descripttoi.
applies, and the former is due to the persecution to which it has been subjected consequent upon mans
desire to possess an object of so much beauty. H H B
Like the members of the genus Eurystomus, it is noisy and garrulous, particularly during the breed,ng-
season Although a forest Joving bird, it evinces a preference for those trees which skirt open plains or great
glades'; here it perches on the high dead branches, and thence sallies forth to capture any passing insect.
The situations selected for nesting are very similar to those resorted to by the Euryslom,, namely hollows
in the branches and boles o f trees. Here it lays on the bare wood its three or four pure wh.te-eggs, the
shining character of which reminds us o f those of the Kingfisher, to which group of birds the Roller is
somewhat allied. They appear to vary in shape; for Mr. Wolley mentions that he has fonnd them to differ
in this respect even in the same nest. . . .. ,
The accompanying Plate, which furnishes an accurate illustration of an adult male, renders a detailed
description of that sex unnecessary. The female, which is represented in the reduced figure, differs in being
somewhat paler and in having a wash of grey over the chestnut-red of the back, hut when old is very like
the male ; the young merely differ in being somewhat paler than the female.
tllli lliliiilllk lili lili! till ill