EUEYSTOMUS OEIEKTALIS. 287 



together ; these fly rapidly in large circles with quick strokes of the wing, like Woodpeckers, frequently 

 swooping down upon one another with loud chattering. When perched, their note is a single, full, deep-toned 

 whistle, or something between that and the sound "you " when uttered with forcible expulsion of the breath. 

 Its mode of flight, when executing these circular manoeuvres, must be somewhat abnormal, for any thing 

 less like those of a Woodpecker than its actions when ordinarily on the wing cannot be imagined ! 



Nidification. — Mr. Bourdillon has lately had the good fortune to discover this interesting bird breeding 

 in Travancore. Mention is made of this occurrence by him in his interesting paper on the birds of the 

 Travancore Hills ; and I am indebted to Mr. Hume for the following account written to him by Mr. Bourdillon 

 for publication in the revised edition of ' Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds ': — 



" On March 17th I was attracted by hearing the chattering of a pair of these Rollers. On going to the 

 spot I found them engaged in ejecting from a hole in a Vedu-pla stump (Cullenia excelsa), about 40 feet from 

 the ground, a pair of our Hill-Mynahs (Eulabes religiosa). One of the Rollers was in the mouth of the hole, 

 and enlarging it by tearing away with its beak the soft rotten wood. The other Roller, seated on a tree close 

 by, was doing most of the chattering, making an occasional swoop at the Mynahs whenever they ventured too 

 close. I watched the birds for some time, until the Mynahs went off and there and then began building in 

 a ' Pinney '-tree [Calophyllum datum) within the distance of 100 yards. Ten days after I sent for some hill- 

 men (' Khanirs/ we call them here), who managed to ascend by tying-up sticks with strips of cane, in the way 

 that they erect ladders to obtain the wild honey from the tallest trees in the forest. It was past six o'clock in 

 the evening before the Khanir reached the hole in which the birds had bred. He found not the slightest 

 vestige of a nest, but a few chips of rotten wood, upon which were laid the three eggs. These I found to be 

 slightly set. While the man was climbing the tree, the birds behaved in a very ridiculous and excited manner. 

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

 and as the crisis approached, and the man drew nearer their property, they dashed repeatedly at his head. 



" After the eggs were taken, the birds disappeared for about a fortnight, but returned, and, I believe, laid 

 again in the same position. I did not molest them this time, wishing to get the young. Unfortunately I 

 had to leave home, and on my return I found the birds, old and young, had disappeared." 



Mr. Hume writes : — " Eggs of this species, sent me from Mynall by Mr. Bourdillon, closely resemble those 

 of the Indian Roller, but are somewhat larger, though not quite so large as those of the European Roller. 

 They are very broad ovals, pure white, and faintly glossy. 



" The specimens I have vary in length from 1*34 to T42 inch, and in width from 1 - 14 to 1T6." 



Fam. ALCEDINID^E. 



Bill long, straight, conical, and very acute at the tip ; gape wide and smooth. Wings with 

 10 primaries. Tail short. Legs and feet small; the toes syndactyle, the inner one sometimes 

 wanting ; soles broad and flat. Sternum with two emarginations on the posterior edge. Head 

 large. Tongue diminutive. 



