BRITISH BIRDS. IO5 



brilliant azure-blue ; wing-quills and tail dark greenish- 

 blue, secondaries having rufous outer margins ; chin 

 and throat dull white ; under parts light chestnut ; bill 

 orange at base, black towards tip ; iris hazel ; tarsi 

 dull pale red ; claws blackish. Length about 7*00. 



Sparingly distributed and resident, excepting in the 

 north of Scotland ; in Ireland it is scarce and local, 

 although breeding in nearly eveiy county. Nesting 

 burrow is often excavated by the bird in the bank of a 

 stream or river, but sometimes a ready-made hole is used. 

 From 6 to 8 eggs are laid on bare soil or often on fish- 

 bones cast up by the bird ; rather globular in shape with 

 a glossy white shell ; size '90 by 75. 



GENUS LXVIII. CERYLE, Bold (1828}. 

 141. Ceryle aleyon (JLinn.). BELTED KINGFISHER. 

 Hab. North America. Partially migratory in winter. 

 Two examples preserved in Dublin were shot in Ireland 

 in 1845, one in Co. Meath, the other in Co. Wicklow. 

 Although the B.O.U. Committee admitted it to the 

 British list on the strength of these occurrences, several 

 authorities do not regard it as a possible visitor. Those, 

 however, who are acquainted with the powerful flight and 

 migratory habits of this somewhat aberrant type of 

 Kingfisher must allow it to be a possible although cer- 

 tainly not a probable visitor. 



Family Coraciidee. 



GENUS LXIX. CORACIAS, Linnaeus (1766). 

 142. Coraeias garrula, Linn. ROLLER. 

 Hab. Western Palaearctic region, in continental 

 Europe breeding northward to Southern Scandinavia. 

 Migrating in winter to South Africa. 



