THE BROAD-BILLED ROLLER. 71 



rump arid upper tail-coverts ; the whole lower plumage tolerably clear 

 greenish blue, duller on the breast and brighter on the vent, under tail- 

 coverts and under wing-coverts ; throat and upper breast with numerous 

 broad shaft -stripes of glistening violet-blue; secondaries, primaries and 

 their coverts black, the first six primaries with a patch of light blue at their 

 bases ; the next primary with a smaller patch of the same colour ; tail 

 black, more or less tinged with purple at the bases of the feathers ; 

 underside of tail and wings suffused with purple. 



Bill, legs and feet deep vermilion ; the tip of the bill black ; iris dark 

 brown ; gape yellowish. 



Length 12 inches, tail 4*4, wing 7*6, tarsus '7, bill from gape 1'7. The 

 female is of the same size or even larger than the male. 



The Broad-billed Roller is locally distributed over the greater part of 

 Burmah. Mr. Blyth records it from Arrakan ; I observed it in Pegu in 

 the hills north of Pegu Town, at Tonghoo and at Shwaygheen ; Capt. 

 Wardlaw Ramsay got it on the Karin hills, and Mr. Blanford at Bassein ; 

 Mr. Davison states that it is confined to the southern portion of Tenas- 

 serim, but Capt. Bingham found it in the Thoungyeen valley. 



To the north of Burmah it ranges through the Indo-Burmese countries 

 into India, and is found over a considerable portion of that country and 

 Ceylon. To the east it is found in China, Siam and Cochin China, and it 

 extends down the Malay peninsula to Sumatra, Java, Borneo and some of 

 the further islands. 



The Broad-billed Roller is comparatively rare, and is only found in 

 forest country. It appears to be almost crepuscular in its habits, being 

 indolent and little on the move during the day. It perches on dead 

 branches, and catches insects both by flying at them and by pouncing oc 

 them on the ground. It is said to breed in holes of trees, and its eggs are 

 probably white. 



