ROLLER. 433 



and it is abundant in many parts of the Austrian dominions, 

 as well as in Koumania and the Balkan peninsula, occur- 

 ring also, though mostly as a migrant, in Greece, Asia 

 Minor and Palestine. On its return passage it is in great 

 request on most of the Mediterranean Islands, being then 

 very fat and much esteemed for the table.* 



The bill is brownish-black, inclining to orange at the base 

 of the lower mandible : the irides reddish-brown : the bare 

 space behind the eye brownish : head, neck, and most of the 

 wing-coverts, glossy greenish-blue,f tinged in places with 

 reddish-brown; back, scapulars, and tertials, light cinnamon; 

 small anterior wing-coverts and rump china-blue ; upper 

 tail-coverts berlin-blue ; the two middle tail-feathers brown- 

 ish-green glossed with coppery-purple ; the rest, for about 

 two-thirds of their length, bluish-green, the remaining third 

 much paler, and the outer pair tipped with greenish-black, 

 the shafts black; the primaries and secondaries verditer- 

 blue at the base, the rest dark bluish-black on the outer web, 

 the inner web being blackish-brown ; chin greyish-white ; 

 throat verditer with shining streaks of a lighter hue ; breast, 

 belly, inner wing-coverts and lower tail-coverts, pale bluish- 

 green ; remiges beneath rich berlin-blue, except at the base 

 where they are verditer-blue and near the tip where they are 

 dusky ; tail-feathers, except the middle pair, berlin-blue 

 beneath for about two-thirds of their length, and then pale 

 verditer-green, the slightly elongated outer pair being tipped 

 with dark blue : legs and toes brownish-yellow ; claws black. 



The whole length is nearly thirteen inches, from the 

 carpal joint to the tip of the wing, eight inches : the tail, 

 which excepting the outer feathers is slightly rounded, about 

 four inches and a half. 



The sexes do not differ externally, and the adults are said 

 not to moult before their departure for the south. 



Young birds in their first autumn have the bill black at 



* It is singular when its range and brilliant plumage are considered that this 

 bird cannot be identified with any species mentioned by Aristotle. 



t We must remember that in this, as in most birds of glossy plumage, green 

 often changes to blue, and blue to green, according to the light in which the 

 specimen is held. 



