98 HALCYONIN.E. 



walls and roofs ; the size of the nest depends mainly on the 

 size of the hole, and is composed of grass, feathers, and bits of 

 rags, &c. ; the eggs, generally four in number, are broad oval in 

 shape, glossy china- white in color, and measure 1'3 in length by 

 1-06 in breadth. 



Coracias garrula, Lin. 



125. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 218 ; Murray's Vertebrate 

 Zoology of Sind, p. 109. 



THE EUROPEAN ROLLER. 



Length, 13 ; wing, 775 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 0'98 ; bill at front, 

 1-37. 



Bill blackish ; irides red-brown ; feet yellow-brown. 



The whole head, neck, and lower parts pale blue, duller on 

 the head, brighter on the chin and throat, and streaked paler ; 

 back, scapulars and tertiaries chesnut-bay ; shoulders and lesser- 

 coverts violet-blue ; the greater-coverts pale blue ; quills deep 

 violet blue ; the lower part of the back violet-blue ; upper tail- 

 coverts light blue ; tail with the two centre tail-feathers dull 

 ashy-blue, the others pale azure, dull dark blue at their base, 

 which color increases in extent towards the centre ; the two outer 

 feathers are tipped with dark blue. 



The European Roller occurs as an occasional seasonal visitant 

 to Sind ; but has not been recorded from any other portion of the 

 district. 



FAMILY, Halcyonidse, Vigors. 



Bill very long, stout, angular, straight pointed, broadish at 

 base, acute at tip ; gape wide ; rictus smooth ; wings moderate, 

 rounded ; tail usually short ; tarsus and toes very small, feeble, the 

 latter much syndactyle, especially the outer one to the middle ; 

 one toe sometimes wanting. 



SUB-FAMILY, Halcyoninae. 



Mostly of large size ; bill strong, thick, broad at the base, 

 straight ; culmen slightly inclining at the tip ; gape smooth ; 

 wings short, broad. 



GENUS, Pelargopsis. 



The characters are the same as those of the sub-family, but 

 the culmen is flattened. 



Pelargopsis gurial, Pears. 



127. Halcyon leucocephalus, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India, 

 Vol. I, p. 222 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382 ; 

 Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 61. 



THE BROWN-HEADED KINGFISHER. 

 Length, 16; expanse, 22 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill 



at gape, 4 ; bill at front, 3 '4, 



