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Family CORACIID-E. 



Genus COEACIAS. 



Galgulus apud Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 69 (1760). 

 Coracias, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 159 (1766). 



The Boilers are, as a rule, richly coloured birds, and inhabit the warmer portions of the Old 

 World, being found in the Palsearctic, Ethiopian, and Oriental Begions — a closely allied genus, 

 JEurystomus, being represented in the Australian Eegion. Only two species inhabit the Western 

 Palsearctic Eegion, one being a resident, whereas the other is only a rare straggler from the 

 Oriental Eegion. 



The Eollers are restless and uneasy birds, but shy or not according to circumstances ; for in 

 some parts of the east, where they are not molested, they are tolerably easy of approach, whereas 

 in others, where they have been subject to persecution, they are as shy as Jays. They frequent 

 groves, gardens, and fields where hollow trees are scattered about, are noisy and restless, often 

 flying from tree to tree uttering loud screams ; and on the wing they are swift, flying much like a 

 pigeon. They hop heavily and awkwardly on the ground ; and when moving about amongst the 

 trees they fly from branch to branch, not hopping, like so many of the perching birds. They 

 feed on insects of various kinds, worms, frogs, &c, but never on grain. They nest in hollow 

 trees, holes in banks or old ruins, and deposit several pure white glossy eggs on the chips of wood 

 at the bottom of the tree-hollow, or else they make a clumsy kind of nest of roots, grass, straw, 

 hair, &c. 



The generic title Coracias is, as I have recently convinced myself, masculine, therefore the 

 common Boiler should stand as Coracias garrulus, and the Indian Boiler as Coracias indicus. 



Coracias garrulus, the type of the species, has the bill nearly as long as the head, higher 

 than broad, broad at the base, but compressed towards the tip, which is decurved and slightly 

 notched ; gape-line nearly straight, the gape furnished with decurved bristles ; nostrils basal, 

 linear, partly concealed by feathers ; a bare space behind the eye ; wings rather long and broad, 

 the second quill longest ; tail rather long, nearly even ; feet very short, the tarsus covered in 

 front with four larger and three inferior broad scutellse; claws of moderate length, arched, 

 acute. 



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