OOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 275 
. Egg pinky white, sometimes faintly freckled at the larger 
end with fine spots of light reddish-brown. Length, eight and 
a-half lines ; breadth, six lines. 
Family Coraciadie—Rollers. 
Genus—Eurystomus. 
7, Eurystomus pacificus, Lath. 
Dollar Bird, Australian Roller—The Canterbury Museum 
possesses a specimen from Westland. In addition to Mr. F. E. 
Clarke’s note, it may be mentioned that in 1872 Mr. Little, 
an old Australian, then living at Okarita, was certain that 
he had seen this bird in the Queen Charlotte’s Sound dis- 
trict. It inhabits the northern and eastern parts of Australia and 
New Guinea. 
Ege pearly white ; considerably pointed at the smaller end. 
Length, one inch five lines ; breadth, one inch two lines. 
Family Alcedinide—K ing fishers. 
Genus— Halcyon. 
8. Halcyon vagans, Lesson. 
Kingfisher, Kotare-—The Kingfisher chooses for its nesting- 
place decayed or decaying trees, banks, sod-walls or fences ; it 
shows particular attachment for special places for breeding pur- 
poses, to which it returns year after year. I had the pleasure of 
shewing the eminent ornithologist, Dr. Otto Finsch, some of 
these very interesting spots at Ohinitahi; within the lineal 
space of twelve feet were eighteen nesting-places, at a short dis- 
tance therefrom another station contained twelve tunnels within. 
a length of eight feet. It evidences a marked absence of fear in 
making choice of a spot wherein to excavate its nursery. In 
several instances I have known a family reared in a bank or 
fence by the roadside, where passengers and vehicles were con- 
stantly passing ; in one of these cases the nest was but a few 
feet distant from a gate. Its home consists of what may be 
termed a tunnel approach, about the length of which there is no 
fixed rule, but the floor of the approach rises from the entrances 
upwards to the egg-chamber ; this part of the home is roomy, 
as the young remain within its walls till able to fly well. The 
measurements of a Kinegfisher’s nest gave the following dimen- 
sions :—entrance, rather more than two inches diameter ; length 
of the tunnel, sixteen inches ; egg-chamber, of ovoid form, seven 
inches in length, five and a-half inches in width ; height from 
floor to roof, four inches. 
The Halcyon lays from five to seven eggs. These are oval, 
glossy white, of delicate texture. In length, one inch and half 
a line; with a breadth of ten and a-half lines. It breeds twice 
in the year ; the season commencing here in September, extends 
through the summer till the end of January. 
