COMMON ROLLER. 327 



CORACIAS GARRULA. 

 COMMON ROLLER. 



(Plate 18.) 



Galgulus galgvilTi8, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 64, pi. v. fig. 2 (1760). 



Ooracias garrula, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 159 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum — 



Latham, Temminch, Naumann, Bonaparte, Newton, Dresser, &c. 

 Galgulus garrulus {Linn.), Vieill. Tabl. Enc. Meth. p. 866 (1823). 

 Ooracias loquax, IMit. Nomencl. Av. p. 68 (1854). 

 Ooracias bengalensis, Keid. Ned. Tijdschr. iii. p. 380 (1866). 



Although this conspicuous bird occurs almost every year in our islands, 

 it can only be regarded as an accident straggler to them chiefly on 

 autumn migration. The earliest known occurrence of this species in the 

 British Islands is that of an example obtained by Sir Thomas Browne 

 near Crostwick, in Norfolk, in May 1644. More than a hundred examples 

 have since been obtained, principally on the east aud south coasts of Eng- 

 land and Scotland, but including nine examples from the Orkney Islands, 

 two from the Shetland Islands, one from St. Kilda, and half a dozen from 

 Ireland. A bird so brilliant in its plumage as the Roller has hardly a 

 chance of breeding in our islands, even if it was disposed to do so. The 

 examples obtained in this country are probably migrants from South 

 Sweden to Africa that have wandered from their usual course. 



The Roller breeds in most parts of Europe south of lat. 60°, but is only 

 of accidental occurrence in the north of France, Belgium, Holland, and the 

 British Islands ; it has also occurred accidentally on the Faroes and in the 

 extreme north of Norway. It is a summer visitor to Algeria, but is only 

 known during winter in Egypt. To Palestine and Asia Minor, Persia, 

 Turkestan, Afghanistan, Cashmere, and the Punjaub it is a summer 

 visitor. It breeds in South-west Siberia as far north as Omsk and as 

 far east as the Altai Mountains. It winters in Arabia, the valley of the 

 Upper Nile, and throughout South Africa *. 



The nearest ally of the Common Roller is the Abyssinian Roller 

 (C. abyssinica), which will be referred to at the close of this article. It has 

 also a somewhat near ally in Asia, C indica, which differs principally in 

 having the throat and breast chestnut instead of blue, and the back green 



* The Roller, like the Bee-eater, appears to have extended its range eastwards within a 

 comparatively recent period. Both these birds breed as far east as Oashmere ; but neither 

 of them are known to winter, as would naturally be expected, in India. This fact can 

 only be accounted for on the theory that their habit of migrating in autumn to South 

 Africa was formed before the breeding-range had been extended and is still retained. 



