BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 379 



This roller is widely distributed in the region covered by the 

 present collection, but is absent in the highlands. Heuglin found it 

 only around forested districts, Blanford noted that it was rather rare 

 in the high country where he saw it but twice, but that it abounded 

 in the subtropical Anseba Valley. Erlanger met with it commonly 

 between Zeila and Jeldessa, also between Harrar and Ginir, in the 

 deeply dissected Arussi-Gallaland district, and in southern Somali- 

 land, a distribution which definitely indicates that Von Heuglin's 

 experience was limited in scope. Heuglin and others found that 

 this species nested in holes in trees, while Erlanger discovered it to 

 nest in holes in sand and earth banks of streams that partially or 

 completely dry up during the dry season. Further evidence as to 

 the ecological adaptiveness of this roller is afforded by Zedlitz who 

 found it around the northern part of the eastern escarpment that 

 separates the Tigre district of Ethiopia from the coastal plains of 

 Danakil. He writes®^ that in that region it is in no sense a forest 

 bird as it seems to be elsewhere, but lives in the baobabs and, on the 

 slopes, in wild fig trees, in country such as Astur tachiro unduliventer 

 and Ptilopachus fv^ciis minor' are wont to inhabit. 



One of these birds (adult male collected near Gardula, March 29) 

 was seen to pursue and fight a large vulture which it apparently 

 made very uncomfortable. It uttered a loud cry as it fought the 

 vulture. 



Although no mention is made of the food habits of this species, 

 Mearns noted that one of the females collected was sitting beside a 

 hive of bees in a flat-topped mimosa tree. Inasmuch as the birds of 

 this group are known to be insectivorous the implication is obvious. 

 Mearns saw several of these rollers between Sadi Malka and Gada 

 Bourca, but did not find them in numbers until he came to the Shoan 

 lake region. The records from the latter region are : Gato River, 

 March 29 to May 17, 100 birds seen ; Bodessa and Sagon River, May 

 ]8 to June 6, 35 noted; Tertale, June 7-12, 25 seen; El Ade, June 

 12-14, 22 birds; Mar Mora, June 15, 20; Turturo, June 15-17, 30; 

 Anole, June 17, 4 seen ; Wobok, June 18, 20 noted ; near Saru, June 

 19, 20 birds; Yebo, June 20, 20 seen; Karsa Barecha, June 21, 50; 

 Malata, June 22, 10 seen ; Chaffa villages, June 23-24, 6 birds noted. 



EURYSTOMUS AFER AETHIOPICUS Neumann 



Eurystomus afer aethiopicus Nb:umann, Journ. f. Oniith., 1905, p. 184: 

 Schekho on the Upper Gelo River. 



Specimens collected: 



Male and female, Aletta, Ethiopia, March 9-11, 1912. 



Male, Loco, Ethiopia, March 13, 1912. 



"Journ. f. Ornith., 1910, p. 760. 



