THE ROLLERS 1845 



in the dusk of the evening near the ground, and remarks that they have a curious 

 way of jerking the tail when alighting on a branch. 



In the true rollers the metatarsus is considerably shortened, and the 

 habits of all the species are arboreal. In addition to the true rollers, 

 the second subfamily also includes the broad-billed rollers (Ezirystomus) . In the 

 common roller (Coracias garnda) and its allies the bill is long and compressed, 

 being much longer than it is broad at the base; while the members of the genus are 

 of brilliant plumage, and are found all over Africa, Southern Asia, and Malaysia, 

 as far as the island of Celebes. The common roller is drab brown above, the 

 rump greenish blue washed with purple; the wing coverts blue, the lesser ones pur- 

 ple; the head green with a bluish eyebrow; the base of the forehead sandy buff; the 

 under surface of the body blue; the breast lilac brown; the sides of the neck and 

 hind neck purplish lilac; and the wings and tail purplish blue with a band of silvery 

 cobalt; the total length being twelve inches. Writing of the habits of this well- 

 known bird, Naun>ann observes that it "is always restless and uneasy, moving 

 from tree to tree, where it always settles on the summit, or on a dead branch. 

 When undisturbed it is fond of sitting in the sunshine, but during rainy weather is 

 dull and moping. It never hops about among the branches, but flies from branch 

 to branch, now and then descending to the ground, where it hops heavily, and with 

 an awkward demeanor. Its flight is quick, very easy, and much resembles that of 

 a pigeon; in flying straight it flaps the wings quickly, turns and overbalances itself 

 often, and glides or shoots through the air for some distance before dropping onto a 

 dead branch. The ordinary voice may be best compared to that of the magpie. 

 Rollers continually give a deep harsh racker-racker-racker-racker, which is very 

 quickly uttered when they are squabbling; and with this they mingle a harsh rrah. 

 When sitting peaceably, the note is a high rack and rack-rack and also a plaintive 

 high krah, not unlike that which a young jackdaw sometimes utters; this last is 

 their call note. These notes quite often vary, and the bird is generally heard before 

 he is seen. In fine weather the male rises in the air near where the female is incu- 

 bating, uttering a single rack, rack-rack, etc., until he attains a considerable height, 

 from which he suddenly falls, always turning a somersault, and throwing himself 

 here and there in the air, uttering quickly the following rah-rarah-rrah-rra, etc., 

 etc., which he always changes to the rack as soon as ever he begins to turn his 

 somersault, and then returns to his seat on a dead branch. This appears to repre- 

 sent his song. The bird chooses a sandy country as its breeding home, and affects 

 thin woods where old oaks are scattered through, and which are adjacent to open 

 fields and near large forests, particularly of pines, making its nest in hollow oak, 

 ash, or other trees, and lining the interior with roots, straw, feathers, and hair. 

 The male and female incubate in turn for the space of not quite three weeks, and 

 when breeding they sit so close that, though at other times very shy, they may be 

 caught on the nest." 



These rollers inhabit Africa, Madagascar, India, and China, ranging 



R .. north to Eastern Siberia and south to the Malay Archipelago and 



Australia. They have the bill as broad as it is long at the gape. The 



oriental roller (Eurystomus orientalis} has the tail black with a bluish base; the head 



