82 jriCylK/AN IURJ)S. 



ilic iliroiiL ,siiv;ikc<l vviUi iH-i^^lil ])in'plisli l>lu(;, roniiiiig ;i <,ailar putch, tlio total 

 Iciij^ili hciii!^- (^(ivcii iiK-lics. Jt inliabits the; Jiurrnese countries, extending down to 

 the MjiLiynii l'(;iiiiisul;i und to the islands of Jjorneo, Java, and the Philippines. 

 P>oiir(h"lloii, wHiyx staling that he was attracted by the chattering of a pair of these 

 rollers, says that "<-»i gohig to tin; sjiot I romid ihfiii engaged in ejecting from a 

 h(jl(! in a stump, about I'oj-ty feet from the g)-(juiid, a pair of our hill-iiiyiias. One 

 of tli«3 i'ollei-s was in the mouth of th<; hole, and enhuging it by tearing away with 

 its b<!ak the soft i-(jti('n wood ; tin; otliej- I'oller, seat(Ml on a ti-ee close by, was 

 floing most of the chattering, making an occasional swoo[) at the )iiynas whenever 

 they ventured too ciosc!. 1 watched the birds for some ti)ne until the mynas went 

 od", ;uid there ;i-nd then Ixgan building in a ]»i)niey tree within the distance of one 

 hundi-ed yards. Tt.-n days after 1 sent for some hillmen who managed to ascend 

 hy tying uj) sticks with strips of cane, in th(! way they erect ladders to obtain the 

 wild honey from the tallest trees in tin; foi-est. It was past six o'clock in the 

 evening before a man reached the hole in which theljirds had bred. He found not 

 the sliglitest vestige of a nest, but a few chips of rotten wood, upon which were 

 liiid th(; tlir(M! eggs. Tlu^se I foun<l to be slightly set. While the man was clindjing 

 Mk; tree, tli(^ ])irds behaved in a N^wy ridiculous and excited manner. Seated side 

 by side on a bough, they alternately jerked head and tail, keeping up an incessant 

 harsh chattel', and as the crisis a])]))'oached, and the man drew nearer their property, 

 they dasheil rc|)(iatedly at his h(;a<l." 



Tm: KiROUMBOS, 



l^amily fJil'ToHOMATIUJE. 



1^he remai-kal)le binls (;(jnniionly known l)y thei)* native name of Kii'oumbos 

 are coniined to Madagascar and some of tJie neighbouring islands, and may be 

 reganled as aberrant I'olhirs, although they also exhibit affinities to the under- 

 mentioned frog-mouths, in the possession of "powder-down" patches on the sides 

 of th(5 lower part of the back. Only two mendjei's of the family an; known, both 

 of which are included in the genus LcfttosoiiKt. The bill is roller-like, but the 

 nostrils ai'e quite peculiar as regards their situation, being placcnl in the middle of 

 the u]tper mandible, and ai'e shut in by a hoi'iiy ])lat(; ; while Die loi-al plumes ai'e 

 curvecl forward so as to entirely liid(; tin; l)ase of the bill. The feet are semi- 

 scansorial, that is to say, tlu; foui'th toe is cleft to the base and pai'tly reversil)le, 

 and tJie tail-feathers ai'(! ten in niimliei-. TIk; se.xes ai-e <lil]ei-ent in colour, the 

 male having somc^ considerable metallic slujen, and the upju'r sui'face being gi'een 

 glossed with a distinct coppery sluuU; ; whih; tlu^ tail is greyish l)lack, glossed with 

 metallic green, and, more slightly, with cop))ery voi\. The entii-e under surface is 

 dai-k ashy grey, Ijecoming white on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; and the 

 head is crested and of a leaden grey coloui-, glossed with metallic green and c(j])per ; 

 the total length being IG inches. The female is <|ui(c dillei-ent from the male, 

 being rufous brown above, with the head l)lack, an<l tlui sides of the head and })a.ck 

 of the neck barred with black; the back spotted with buff" and glossed with dull 

 green and copper ; the tail brown, blackish towards the tip, which is edged with 



