311 On the Occurrence of some of the Rarer Species of Birds 



that of the male bird, enlivened as it is by the large round white 

 spot on the outer quills of the wing" and tail feathers. I once shot 

 a curious specimen of the bird at Odiham, in Hants, the whole 

 plumage being of a light grey tint. The width of the gape of this 

 bird is something surprising, the little bill itself being not so large 

 as a Robin's, while the gape is large enough to secure within it the 

 largest moths, twelve of which — consisting of Yellow Underwings 

 and similar sorts — I remember extracting from the mouth of one I 

 had shot. I have the notice of one being shot on November 1 1th, 

 1875, at Eastleigh Lodge, near Warminster, which is a very late 

 occurrence for it. 



Mekopid^:. 



Coracias Garrula. " The Roller.''' The last two birds that I have 

 left to mention in the order of the Insessores are both rare stragglers 

 to our shores, showing, by the very brightness of their plumage, that 

 they belong to sunnier climes. Of these " The Roller " stands the 

 first, and I am able to record a fairly recent specimen of this bird, 

 which was killed near Christchurch, on June 16th, 1868. It was 

 stuffed by Hart, and is now in Lord Braybrook's collection. W. 

 Wyndham, Esq., of Dinton, has also a beautiful pair of these birds in 

 his collection, but I cannot claim them as local specimens. Some years 

 back, as Hart informs me, there was one of these birds discovered 

 nailed up on the black board of one of the keepers of the New Forest, 

 who doubtless enrolled it in his imagination as a kind of Jay, and 

 considered it worthy only of the malefactor's gibbet. I am not able 

 to record any further instance of its having been observed lately in 

 the Avon Valley. 



Merops Apiaster. " The Bee-eater." The second species of the 

 Meropida is that of the Bee-eater, another most beautifully-coloured 

 bird, and of which I have a nice specimen in my collection, which 

 was kindly brought me by Colonel Everett from Malta. Hart in- 

 forms me that Lord Braybrook has two nice pairs of these birds, 

 killed on the estate near Christchurch, but he was not able at the 

 moment to give me the exact date of their capture, which, however, 

 could be obtained if required. There is a nearer occurrence, however, 



