220 MEROPID^E. 



in this country (the south of Russia). It is the Roller. 

 Its plumage is beautiful, and when flying in the sun it 

 looks like a moving rainbow. I endeavoured several times 

 to get near them with my gun, but in vain ; they fly or roll 

 along in their flight, and are very shy, perching on the 

 highest branches of trees and watching continually." 



In Sicily, M. Malherbe says, " great numbers of the 

 Roller are seen all the summer in the woody and moun- 

 tainous districts ; they are wild to a degree, and the bird 

 appears to be incapable of becoming familiar. Young birds 

 brought up from the nest become wild as soon as they are 

 able to fly. The voice is loud and harsh." 



The beak is black ; the irides reddish brown ; behind 

 the eye a triangular naked spot; head, neck, and wing- 

 coverts, greenish blue, approaching in richness to verditer 

 blue ; back, scapularies, and tertials, yellowish brown ; 

 shoulders and rump China blue ; upper tail-coverts Berlin 

 blue ; the two middle tail-feathers blackish green ; the 

 others, for two-thirds of their length, bluish green, the 

 shafts black ; the outer feather on each side tipped with 

 black ; the primary and secondary quill -feathers verditer 

 blue at the base, the rest dark bluish black ; chin greyish 

 white ; throat verditer ; all the under surface of the body 

 and the under wing-coverts, pale bluish green ; under 

 surface of primaries and secondaries rich Berlin blue ; 

 under surface of the tail-feathers Berlin blue for two- 

 thirds of their length, then tipped with greyish blue ; 

 the outer elongated tail-feather on each side almost wholly 

 blue, but tipped with dark blue ; these longer outside tail- 

 feathers distinguish the male bird : the legs and toes 

 yellowish brown ; the claws black. 



The whole length of the bird is thirteen inches. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing, eight inches : the 

 first quill-feather rather longer than the fourth ; the 



