272 Mr. 11. B. Sharpe. on the 



duller and inclining to black, the whole of the feathers black at 

 the tip, forming a broad black bar along the end of the tail ; 

 lower portion of the abdomen and under tail-coverts bright co- 

 balt ; thighs lilac-brown washed with cobalt ; bill yellow ; feet 

 brown. 



Hab. Madagascar {Newton, Pollen 65- Van Dam, Crossley) ; 

 Nossi-be, Nossi-falie ( Verger) ; Pemba {Bojer) ; Mozambique 

 (Bianconi) . 



Drs, Finsch and Hartlaub are inclined to consider the present 

 species to be only a large race of Eurystomus afer, inasmuch as 

 they find that specimens of the last-named Roller from Gaboon, 

 measuring 11^ inches in length, equal specimens from Mada- 

 gascar; an example collected by Bojer in Pemba, an island lying 

 off the Zanzibar coast, was scarcely larger than large specimens 

 of E. afer ; and the bird obtained by Bianconi in Mozambique 

 is also referable to E. glaucurus. The measurements given 

 by the above-named authors favour this view ; and it would 

 therefore appear that a ruddy Eurystomus is widely distri- 

 buted in Western and Eastern Africa, varying in size according 

 to locality, and reaching its maximum development in Mada- 

 gascar. 



Not having specimens to examine from all the localities neces- 

 sary for the correct determination of this question, I follow the 

 above-named authors in supposing E. glaucurus to occur on the 

 east coast of Africa. Pollen and Van Dam state that the bird in- 

 habits the interior of Madagascar, and only appears on the west 

 and east coasts of the island in October, whereas Bojer shot his 

 specimen in Pemba on the 24th of August, 1824. If MM. 

 Pollen and Van Dam are right in what they say, it is unlikely 

 that the Pemba bird can be E. glaucurus; but their statement 

 is hardly conclusive, and it is more likely that, instead of in- 

 habiting the interior of Madagascar during the season when it 

 was not observed by these naturalists, it really passes the time 

 in Africa and migrates to Madagascar in October. This would 

 account for its occurrence in Pemba, Reunion, and in Mozam- 

 bique. Thus it may be probable that the large specimens of 

 Eurystomus found in Africa are really E. glaucurus and not E. 

 afer ; and I must say that I consider these species sufficiently 



