.MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 225 



No. XX. -ROLLER CATCHING ITS PREY IN THE WATER. 



On the 14th September, I saw from my window a Burmese Roller (Coracias 

 affinis) fly from his perch on the top of a bush, and dive head-first into a tank, 

 king- fisher fashion, and emerge immediately afterwards, returning to his perch 

 on the same bush, where he swallowed whatever it was that he had caught. I 

 was very surprised, as I have never seen or heard of a Roller behaving in this 

 manner. I got my field glasses and watched the bird very carefully. He was 

 only 120 yards away, and I saw him repeat the operation four times alto- 

 gether and each time he returned to the top of the same bush. Though I look- 

 ed very carefully, I was not able to see what it was that he caught, although I 

 could see quite plainly that he plunged bodily into the water, and was momen- 

 tarily submerged. After each dive he returned to his perch on the bush on 

 the bank above the tank and he swallowed his prey quickly, also shaking 

 his feathers very vigorously several times to dry his plumage. 



The bush he sallied from, and returned to, was about 4 feet high, and grow- 

 ing on a bank about 10 yards from, and 8 or 10 feet above, the tank. 



The tank is full of fish, but I hardly think it could have been for fish he was 

 diving. I thought at the time it must have been some water insect which he 

 was after, but unfortunately, even with my glasses, I could not make out what 

 it was. I would have attempted to get closer to the bird to see what he was 

 catching, but unluckily a native came along with some mules and the Roller 

 flew right away behind the Fort. 



Some days later one of my servants, who had also observed the bird 

 at the time when I saw it first, told me he saw the bird, probably the 

 same one I think, behaving in a similar manner at the same place, while 

 I was out. 



On the following day I saw a Roller fly up and settle in a tree about 20 

 yards in front of my bungalow in the corner of the compound. He had 

 something in his bill which he was evidently trying to swallow. I quickly got a 

 pair of field-glasses and was in time to see that what the bird was trying to 

 swallow was a frog, but unfortunately I did not actually see bim swallow 

 it, because a man passing close to him disturbed him, and he flew on to another 

 tree further away, and there I think swallowed it ; but he was too far off for 

 me to see properly. 



There are two of these birds, Coracias ajfinis, always about near the tank 

 which is outside the Fort wall, but is overlooked by my upper rooms. I now 

 watch them with my glasses, whenever I get an opportunity ; but I have not 

 again seen either of them diving into the water. 



I believe the two birds are always the same. One of them I have noticed 



when looking at him through my field glasses is a beautiful specimen, I think 



i this is probably a cock and the other a hen bird. I do not think a Roller 



could catch a fish, but it is possible that he is catching various prey when he. 



dives— sometimes a frog, at others a water-beetle or larva, etc., etc. 



2D 



