HOOPOE.— ROLLER. 169 



1 was told afterwards that either this or another Hoopoe 

 was seen rimuiug about in an adjoining meadow, on the 29th 

 of the same month. It is a very filthy feeder, delighting in 

 searching in noisome manure heaps for grubs or beetles, for 

 which it also frequents willows and other trees, probing the 

 perforations made by these insects , it also feeds on earth- 

 worms, often running round in circles, trampling down the 

 grass to bring them to the surface. 



When I was quite a boy, I made my first acquaintance 

 with the Hoopoe in this way : I was at a farmhouse when 

 the tenant brought in a Hoopoe, which he had just shot in 

 a wood close by. His wife said, " It is a pretty bird and 

 ought to be kept ;" to whom he replied, ^' Hang it up in the 

 chimney by the side of the bacon," which was accordingly 

 done. Many years after I saw it again, and was told that 

 it had just been brushed over with a hat-brush. It was still 

 in fair condition, though rather spoilt by the smoke. 



CORACIID^. 



ROLLER. 



Coracias garrulus. 



This very rare visitor has made its appearance in Sussex, but 

 the notices are few and far between. From Yari'ell^s 

 ' British Birds ' we learn that, in the countries of which it is 

 a native, it frequents the woods and is very shy, and is 

 generally seen passing from one dead tree to another in 

 search of Coleoptera^ uttering in its flight a loud cry resem- 

 bling the Avords ^' Rack-rack-rack." It also feeds on frogs. 

 The nest is commonly placed in a hollow tree, occasionally 



