218 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



This species chiefly differs from the Indian one in the upper 

 parts being greener ; the neck and breast without any reddish- 

 brown, being dusky-purplish, varied with bright purple ; and in 

 the wing being deep purple ; it also wants the broad terminal 

 purple band to the tail. 



The Burmese Koller is the only one found to the east of the 

 Bay of Bengal, and in Assam, but it spreads into the Sunderbuns, 

 Tipperah, and even the neighbourhood of Calcutta itself, where 

 it mingles and interbreeds with the Indian Roller. Blyth has 

 procured many specimens, which present every gradation 

 of plumage from one to the other. The same intermingling of 

 afHned species takes place in the Green Pigeons of the south 

 and north of India, and in several other birds. It does not 

 differ in its habits or voice from the Indian Roller ; those 

 which I saw in Burmah were decidedly more wary and less familiar 

 than the Indian bird. 



125. Coracias garrula, Lm. 



Gould, Birds of Europe, PI. 60 — Horsf., Cat. 853 — Blyth, 

 Cat. 223. 



The European PlOller. 



Descr. — The whole head, neck, and lower parts, pale blue, duller on 

 the head, brighter on the chin and throat, and streaked pale ; 

 back, scapulars, and tertiaries, chesnut-bay ; shoulder and lesser 

 coverts violet-blue ; the greater coverts pale blue ; quills deep 

 violet-blue ; the lower part of the back violet-blue ; upper tail- . 

 coverts light blue ; tail, with the two centre-feathers, dull ashy- 

 blue, the others pale azure, dull dark blue at their base, 

 which color increases in extent towards the centre ; the two 

 outer feathers are tipped with dark blue ; bill blackish ; irides red- 

 brown ; feet yellow-brown. 



Length 13 inches ; wing 7| ; tail 5, not 2 inches beyond 

 wing ; bill at front If ; tarsus barely 1. The European Roller is 

 only found, in our province, in the extreme North-west; and 

 even there (it w^ould seem) but rarely. It has been taken 

 at Moultan, and in other parts of the Punjab, also in Cashmere. 



