162 THE NATURAL HISTORY REVIEW. 



which form well-known features in Indian Ornithology. The Indian 

 Bee-eater (3ferops viridis) is, as Dr. Jerdon tells ns, '' a very common 

 " bird, and is a most characteristic adjunct of Indian scenery. It 

 " generally hunts, like the Fly-catchers, from a fixed station, which 

 " may be the top branch of a high tree, or a shrub, a hedge, a bare 

 " pole, a stalk of gi'ain or grass, some old building, very commonly 

 " the telegraph-wires, or even a mound of earth on the plain, 

 " Here it sits looking eagerly around, and on spying an insect, which 

 *' it can do a long way oft', starts rapidly, and captures it on the wing 

 " with a distinctly audible snap of its bill, it then returns to its perch, 

 " generally slowly sailing with outspread wings, the copper burnish 

 " of its head and wings shining conspicuously, like gold, in the sun- 

 " beams. The Indian Eoller {Ooracias indica) is also a widely- 

 " distributed and well-known bird — not quite so active as the last- 

 " named species, but of somewhat similar habits. It generally takes 

 " its perch on the top, or outermost branch, of some high tree, and, 

 " on spying an insect on the ground, which it can do at a very great 

 " distance, it flies direct to the spot, seizes it, and returns to its perch 

 " to swallow it." 



To the east of the bay of Bengal the Indian Eoller is replaced by 

 an allied form, the Coracias affinis of McLelland. Comparing spe- 

 cimens from distant localities these two generally-recognized species 

 are quite distinct. But it is a noteworthy fact, that in the district 

 where the two so-called species inosculate — that is in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Calcutta — intermediate forms occur. In the Asiatic 

 Society's Museum are specimens, procured by Mr. Blyth, " which 

 " present every gradation of plumage from one to the other." Dr. 

 Jerdon seems to believe that these are hybrids produced by the 

 interbreeding of two originally distinct forms. Those who accept 

 the doctrine of the derivative origin of species will prefer a much 

 simpler and more easy solution of the problem. 



Our well-known Kingfisher is the sole representative in this 

 country of a very numerous group of fissirostral birds distributed all 

 over the world, but especially abundant in the warmer portions, 

 where, however, a large section of them are widely divergent in their 

 habit from the Linnean Alcedo ispida. The King-hunters {HaU 

 ct/o?i, ^'c), as they are called, so far from generally aftecting the 

 vicinity of water, are many of them denizens of the driest parts of 

 the forest, and dart forth into the an- " upon land-crabs, mice, lizards, 

 and insects." But some of the Indian species of this group appear 



