88 



BIRD GALLERY. 



Sumatran and Lindsay's Kingfishers [H. concretus and H, lindsayi) 

 (1136, 1137), and the strikingly handsome white-and-green species 

 {H. saurophagus) (1139). Other notable forms are the Hooded and 

 Blue-and- White Kingfishers {Monachalcyon monachus and M. fulgidus) 

 (1139 a, 1I4G), the Sanghir Kingfisher {Cittura sanghirensis) (1141), 

 the Huahine Kingfisher {Todirhamphus tutus) (1142), and the graceful 

 Racquet-tailed species {Tanysiptera) (1143-1145)^ ranging from the 

 Moluccas and the Papuan Islands to N.E. Australia. On the ground 

 floor will he found the extraordinary Shoe-billed Kingfisher {Clytoceyx 

 rex) (1146) from New Guinea, in which the sexes are somewhat 

 difi'erently coloured; the Hook-billed Melidora macrorhina (1147), and 

 the "Laughing Jackasses" of Australia {Dacelo) (1148-1 159). These 

 latter derive their trivial name from their extraordinary gurgling 

 laughing note, familiar to all who visit our Zoological Gardens, and, 

 unlike most of the Kingfishers, thrive well in captivity. 



Family IV. LeptosomatidjE. Kirombos or Madagascar Rollers. 



[Case 58.] The Kirombo or Vorondreo {Leptosoma discolor) (1151) inhabits the 

 islands of Madagascar, Mayotte, and Anjouan, while a somewhat 

 smaller form occurs in Great Comoro Island. These are the only 

 representatives of this rather remarkable family, characterised by having 

 the base of the bill hidden by recurved plumes, the nostrils linear and 

 placed far forward in the middle of the upper mandible, and the fourth 

 toe partly reversible. As will be seen in the Case, the male and female 

 are quite difEerent in plumage. Like the true Rollers, these birds have a 

 habit of playing in the air, ascending to a great height, and then rapidly 

 descending in a curve with nearly closed wings ; they also nest in holes 

 and lay white eggs. 



Family V. Coraciid^. Rollers. 



[Case .58.] These brilliantly coloured birds, distributed over the greater part 

 of the Old World, may be divided into two subfamilies. The first, 

 BrachypteraciiruB, includes some curious ground forms peculiar to 

 Madagascar, and represented by Atelornis pitto'ides (1152), Uratelornis 

 chimaira (1153), and Geobiastes squamigera (1154). They are forest - 

 dwelling species, and almost entirely terrestrial and crepuscular in their 

 habits, seeking their insect-food on the ground at dusk. 



To the second subfamily, Coraciina, belong the true Rollers, of 

 which the common species {Coracias gairulus) (1155) is a well-known 

 European bird, which occasionally visits Great Britain during the 

 spring and autumn migrations. Another very handsome example, 

 from Southern Abyssinia and Somali-land, is Lort Phillips' Roller 



