THE ROLLER. 155 



wards. Nevertheless," he adds, " scarcely a year 

 passes without some being obtained in Northum- 

 berland during October and November. This in- 

 duces me to suppose that they are migratory in 

 some of the more northern parts of Europe, per- 

 haps in Norway and Sweden. They arrive about 

 the same time as the woodcock and other equa- 

 torial migrants Mr. Selby says that 



he has seen it in Scotland on the banks of the 

 river Spey, and amid the wild scenery of the 

 Dee."* In Sussex, this bird is a spring arrival. 

 When visiting the Elgin Museum, in the same 

 year, with the Rev. Dr. Gordon, he pointed out 

 to me a honey buzzard which had been recently 

 killed at Pluscarden, and a few days afterwards, 

 being at Inverness, I had the opportunity of ex- 

 amining, in the flesh, at Mr. McLeay's, a beautiful 

 specimen of the roller, Coracias fiarrnln, which 

 had been shot by a gamekeeper of the name of 

 Nicholson, in the Oak Wood, and about ten days 

 previously an example of the same rare visitor 

 had been killed at Dornoch by Mr. Kerr Frascr. 

 This species is said to have been met with in 

 Orkney. It would appear to have a wide geogra- 

 phical range, and yet to be very partially distri- 

 buted. It is very rare in England, of common 



YARRELL'S Rritinh flird*. 



L 2 



