COLABIS. BIRDS. 205 



The plumage of the head and neck blue with green reflections ; 

 tail nearly even ; wings varied with blue, sea-green,, and black ; 

 back and scapulars fawn-coloured ; wing-coverts and rump of a 

 rich ultramarine blue; iris with a double circle of brown and 

 gray ; feet yellowish ; bill black, brownish at the base. Thirteen 

 inches long. Inhabits Europe Shaw, vii. pi. 50. 

 This is the only one of the family known in Europe. It roams as far north as 

 Sweden, and a few stragglers have been met with in England, 



C. Bengalensis, Lath. Bengal Roller. Plumage sub-fulvous, blu- 

 ish beneath ; the under part of the neck striated with pale violet ; 

 tail entire. 12 inches long. Inhabits Bengal, Lath. Ind. 168. 



C. Senegalensis. Lath. Plumage reddish brown; the tail,, wings, and 

 upper parts bluish ; face white ; exterior tail-feathers longest. 

 Eighteen inches long. Inhabits Africa. Lath. Ind. 169. 



Gen. 14 COLARIS. Cuv. 



Bill short, strong, depressed, dilated on the sides, much broad- 

 er than deep, ridge rounded, point a little crooked, with or 

 without notch ; inferior mandible in part concealed by the 

 margin of the upper ; nostrils basal, long, diagonally cleft, 

 half shut by a membrane covered with feathers ; legs short ; 

 tarsus shorter than the intermediate toe ; the anterior toes 

 joined at their base ; wings long, the second feather longest. 



C. orientalis. Tern. (Coracias orientalis, Lath.) Quill-feather va- 

 ried with sea-green and blue ; abdomen blue green ; throat and base 

 of the tail blue. lOincheslong. Inhabits India Briss. ii.t.7-%.2. 



C. Madagascariensis, Tern. (Coracias, Lath.) Plumage above pur- 

 ple ferruginous, inclining to blossom colour beneath ; quill-fea- 

 thers blue black ; rump, vent, and tail blue green, tipped with 

 purplish black. Ten inches long. Inhabits Madagascar. Buff. 

 Ois. PI. Enl. 501. 



C. qfraTem. (Coracias of ra, Lath.) Plumage above rufous brown, 

 lilac-coloured beneath; wings blue; tail sea-green, with blue black 

 tip. 8 inches long. Inhabits Africa. Shaw. Nat. Mis. pi. 401. 



Gen. 15. ORIOLUS, Tern. 



Bill in the form of a lengthened cone, horizontally compresed 

 at the base, and edged ; the upper mandible surmounted by 

 a ridge, notched at the point ; nostrils basal, lateral, naked, and 

 horizontally pierced in a large membrane ; tarsus shorter than, 

 or of the same length as, the middle toe, which is joined to 

 the exterior one ; wings with the first quill very short, the 

 third the longest. 



O. galbula, Lin. Golden Oriole. Body and tip of the tail gold-yel- 

 low; wings, tail, and cere black; bill chestnut coloured ; iris red; 

 legs bluish gray. 10 inches long. Europe, &c Shaw, vii. pi. 53 



