1921.] Birds of Macedonia. 215 



accentuated and sometimes raised in tone, the Hoopoe's notes 

 are quite uniform. The double or triple note — or perhaps 

 bar is the best word to use — is repeated a varying number of 

 times. There may be a short " song " of only a dozen or 

 even less bars, and these may be all of the triple or double 

 kind. In a spirited bird the song is long, and t)ie bird may 

 be said to " coo " continuously for ten minutes or so. At 

 first I was inclined to think tiiiit there was some method or 

 significance in the use of the double or triple call, but a mass 

 of statistics — if I may use the word — com])iled later, gave 

 poor results. For instance, a song of 02 bars included 

 <S triples, another of 69 included 12 triples, another of 145 

 bars included 99 triples and these scattered sjiasmodieally 

 through the song. Some charts I prepared showed little 

 except that the triple bar is more constantly used by some 

 individuals than by others. A pair of Hoopoes love making 

 at Arachli made quite a different noise. They were fluttering 

 about like gaudy butterflies on the edge of a small clearing. 

 The n^.ale chased his mate from tree to tree. Both birds 

 were very active, their tails spread and their crests mobile. 

 During their gambols a succession of low harsh notes were 

 heard. 



Alcedo ispida. Kingfisher. 



Seen commonly during the winter. According to Major 

 Shiden it breeds near Hirsova. 



Coracias garruliis. Roller. 



Common in the summer. Seen 17 April. Its marked 

 characters are the hoarse voice, erratic flight, and quarrelsome 

 dispositio!'. The outstanding feature with regard to its 

 pugnacity was the antipathy shown towards the Jackdaws. 

 Early arrivals in the spring were mobbed incessantly by 

 smaller birds, and it was interesting to note the long 

 processions of Starlings and Sparrows moving from tree to 

 tree in the wake of a Roller. Quite a feud existed between 

 the Rollers aud Jackdaws wherever the two S])ecies were 

 found together. The Roller is very active and fierce in the 

 chase^ and its clamour is even great enough to overwhelm 



