184 Mr. "R. B. Sharpe on the 



XIV. — On the Coraciidffi of the Ethiopian Region. 

 By R. B. Sharpe, F.L.S., Libr. Z.S. &c. 



(Plate VIII.) 



It had been my intention, on the completion of my ' Monograph 

 of the Alcedinida,' to proceed with a similar work on the 

 Coraciida ; and I had already got together a considerable quantity 

 of notes on the subject, when I heard that Mr. D. G. Elliot was 

 engaged in preparing a Monograph of the same family. On 

 learning this fact, I deemed it best to give up my project ; but - 

 not liking to abandon the idea entirely after spending so much 

 time in gathering data, I have in the present paper strung 

 together a synopsis of the African species of this family, so as 

 to form the third of the series of essays I have now in hand 

 on the Ornithology of the Ethiopian Region. 



The Coraciidce seem to me to be divisible into three subfami- 

 lies, which may be characterized as follows : — 



a. nares ad basin maxillse positse, setis obtectae. 



«'. tarsus brevior quam digitus medius * Coraciince. 



b'. tarsus longior quam digitus medius BrachipteraciincB. 



h. nares nudae, lineares, in media maxilla positaa . . Leptosomince. 



The first subfamily includes the true Rollers {Coracias) and 

 the Broad-billed Rollers {Eurystomus) ; the second the Long- 

 legged Ground-Rollers [Brachypteracias, Atelornis, Geobiastes) ; 

 and the third subfamily the curious form Leptosoma. The dis- 

 tribution of the true Rollers extends over the Palsearctic, Ethio- 

 pian, and the Indian Regions, a single isolated and distinct 

 species, Coracias temmincki, being found in the island of Celebes. 

 The genus Ew-ystomus is divided into two sections — the Blue 

 Broad-billect Rollers {Eurystomus, Vieill.), and the Ruddy 

 Broad-billed Rollers {Cornopio, Cab. & Hein.). No structural 

 difference can be found in the types of these two sections, and 

 the distinction between them consists in style of plumage only. 

 Nevertheless the members of the two sections occupy distinct 



• In the case of all the genera liere examined, tbe tarsus is measured 

 on tbe imderside, along tbe tarso-metatarsal bone, from the ankle-joint 

 to tbe base of tbe ballux, and in the measurement of tbe middle toe the 

 jiail is not taken into consideration. 



