■94: THEWIRDS OF CALCUTTA. 



great acquisition. Indeed, so sedentary are the 

 Roller's ordinary habits, and so inconspicuous are 

 the pinky drab and sea-green of his plumage in repose, 

 that our American winter visitors have called him 

 " the surprise bird," in allusion to the startling display 

 of colour he gives as he takes wing, looking like a 

 great butterfly in his lazy flapping flight. Like 

 many of these weak-looking fliers, however, he is 

 really very active in the air, as might have been seen 

 in the case of the race-course habitue abovementioned 

 when he was badgered by the local crows, who seemed 

 to cherish a prejudice against him. 



The Nilkant, as the Roller is called by the natives, 

 is with them a sacred bird, and once at least a throne 

 has been gained by the holy fowl — no doubt a trained 

 specimen — alighting on the successful candidate's 

 head. And certainly if beauty deserves the honour 

 of worship, the Roller has full right to it, more espe- 

 cially as he is absolutely harmless ; for, when he does 

 fly, he is almost the most effective bird odfe could 

 have in a landscape. Fortunately, although I fear 

 many have been killed for their plumage, the Roller 

 is, over a large part of this country, exceedingly 

 common, and extends westwards through Persia to 

 the Levant. Hereabouts he is on the confines of his 

 eastern range, for from about the longitude of Calcutta 

 he begins to intermarry with the darker Burmese 



