548 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [June 17, 



like back ; centre tail-feathers green, the remainder silvery blue, 

 with a purplish-blue base and a band of the same colour at the 

 tip ; chin and base of cheeks white ; sides of face, throat, and breast 

 lilac-brown, purplish on the throat, which is streaked with white ; 

 remainder of under surface light blue. " Bill blackish brown, 

 paler at base of lower mandible ; inside of mouth pale greenish 

 yellow ; feet brownish yellow ; eyelid and naked skin round the 

 eye pale gamboge ; iris greyish brown ' {E. A. Butler). 



Length about 12 inches, tail 5, wing 7'3, tarsus 0*95, bill from 

 gape 1-7. 



The specimens from Southern India are rather darker and more 

 richly coloured than the birds of the North-western plains, those 

 from the N.W. Provinces being decidedly lighter in colour. 



Distribution. Nearly the whole of India and Ceylon, not ascending 

 the hiUs. It extends from Asia Minor to Persia, Northern Arabia, 

 and Baluchistan, and thence over the greater part of the plains of 

 India. Its range extends to the Nepal Valley, where Dr. Scully 

 procured authentic specimens, and here it meets with C. ajjinis from 

 Assam, and intermediate specimens occur in which the strain of 

 C indica predominates. Its eastern limit appears to be Dacca and 

 the vicinity of Calcutta, where intermedi9,te8 between it and C. affinis 

 again occur rather frequently. Over Central and Southern India it 

 is likewise generally spread, but it is apparently not nearly so 

 plentiful as in Upper India; and in the Deccan it is migrator)-, 

 retii-ing to the better-wooded tracts to breed, according to Colonel 

 Butler and the Rev. S. B. Fairbank. 



Habits, 6fc. Breeds from the end of March right into July 

 according to Hume, who also states that in Upper India the great 

 majority of the birds lay in April and June. The Indian Roller, 

 like its congeners, nests in holes, sometimes making a considerable 

 nest of feathers, grass, &c. The situation chosen is the hole of a 

 tree or old walls, or in roofs and under the eaves of bungalows. 

 The eggs are white, and measure from about 1'3 inch in length by 

 about 1-06 inch in breadth. 



CoRACiAS AFFINIS. The Burmese Roller. 



Coracias affinis, McClell. P. Z. S. 1839, p. 164 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 51 

 (1849); Horsf. & M. Cat. ii. p. 574 (1856); Jerd. B. I. i. p. 217 

 (1862); Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix. p. 95 (1873); Blyth & 

 Wald. B. Burm. p. 72 (1875) ; Hume & Davis. Str. F. vi. p. 72 

 (1878); Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 581(1878); Hume, 

 Cat. no. 124 ; Gates, B. B. ii. p. 69 (1883) ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. 

 Genov. (2) iv. p. 589 (1887); Hume, S. F. xi. p. 48 (1888). 



Coloration. Upper surface dingy olive-brown ; lower back and 

 rump purplish blue, but the upper tail-coverts silvery cobalt ; wings 

 and tail as in C. indica, excepting that there is no blue terminal 

 band to the latter, the outer feather alone having a black spot at 

 the end ; crown of head greenish blue, with a lighter and more 

 verditer-blue shade on the forehead and eyebrow ; sides of face and 

 throat and breast brown, becoming paler on the latter; chin 



