CORACIAD.E. 219 



It is common in Western and Central Asia, and Northern Africa, 

 and is said to breed usually in holes of trees, but sometimes in holes 

 in river banks, laying two pure-white eggs. Pallas says that, in 

 Central Asia, it feeds chiefly on beetles, and often fights with the 

 Magpie. Cor. Temminckii^ V., is found in Celebes and New 

 Guinea ; and there are several species of this genus in Africa, 

 some of them with lengthened outer tail-feathers. 



Gen. EuRYSTOMUS, Vieillot. 



Syn. Colaris^ Cuvier. 



Char. — Bill much shorter than in Coracias, wide at the base, 

 abruptly curved at the tip, where it is compressed ; nostrils long, 

 narrow, slightly oblique ; no rictal bristles ; gape wide ; wings very 

 long, 2nd quill longest, 1st nearly as long ; tail moderate, even ; 

 tarsus short ; toes with the outer toe slightly syndactyle, hallux 

 small ; claws rather small. 



126. Eurystomus orientalis, Lm. 



Coracias, apud Linnaeus — Blyth, Cat. 226 — Horsf., Cat. 

 148 — E. cyanicollis, Vieillot— E. calornyx, Hodgson — PI. 

 Enl. 619. 



The Broad-billed Koller. 



Descr. — Head abov3, with lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts, deep 

 fuscous-blue ; chin and throat also blue, the latter with some 

 longitudinal streaks of shining violet-blue ; the greater wing-coverts 

 bluish; primary coverts dark blue ; quills dark violet with a pale 

 blue band on the first six quills ; tail uniform dark violet : the whole 

 of the rest of the body dingy bluish-green, tinged paler and of a verdi- 

 gris hue on the abdomen. Bill deep red ; eyelids red ; feet dull red. 



Length 12 to 13 inches ; wing 8, reachmg to end of tail ; tail 3f ; 

 bill at front |; tarsus f. The young bird wants the blue of the 

 head and throat, and is duller in all its tints. 



This handsome Roller is found at the base of the Himalayas, in 

 Lower Bengal, Assam, and the Burmese countries, extending to 

 Ceylon, Malayana, and China. It has not yet been met with in South- 

 ern India ; but 1 heard of a species of Roller which ray Shikarees 



