112 
The Birds of Gambia. 
singly or in snmll parties. During the day they sleej) on the ground, and if 
disturbed only flop round once or twice and then settle down again in, or as 
near as possible to, their original place. When the bird is resting on the 
earth the two pennants are stretched out along the ground, one on each side, 
at right angles to the bird's body. Their extraordinary wing formation gives 
thuni a characteristic and uninistakeable appearance when flying ; the same 
thought comes first to my mind, so exactly do the two wing-rackets flickering 
up and down behind the fl.ying bird resemble the movements of two excited 
Sparrows, trying to get in j)lenty of vicious and effective pecks at a fleeing 
and frightened foe. 
A most graphic account of the courtship of these birds is given by 
Captain Boyd Alexander in his most interesting book, " From the Niger to 
the Nile," which I cannot resist quoting here. He says (Vol. II., p. 23), "It 
is interesting to watch this bird courting its mate. Just as dusk is coming 
on the female suddeidy drops noiselessly on to the i)ath from the adjoining 
bush. Immediately the male appears and alights right in front of her where 
she is sitting Then the long pinions are raised so that thej' droop over the 
head toward her. Should the female shift her position the male gives chase 
to alight once again like a featherweight in front of her." 
Scotornis cUmacurus. LONG-TAILED NIGHTJAR. 
Range. Senegambia, Nigeria, Soudan to Nubia. ( ILL.) 
This species, whose characteristic is the enormous lengthening of the 
two middle tail feathers, is much rarer in the Gambia than the preceding. I 
have seen single individuals for several nights running, once near Bathurst 
and once in Niumi, both near the coast, but have never come across them 
on any other occasion or further inland. 
CORACIIDAE. 
The Rollers, of which we have representatives of the two (jcncra, Csr- 
acias, and LJiny/NtoiiiHS, are among the most consjjicuous of our Gambian 
birds, on account of the brilliant colours of their plumage, their fearlessness 
of man and the habit, which most of them have, of selecting the top of a 
bush or an outlying branch of a tree as a pei-ch from which they can watch 
for theii prey, and from which they are constantly flying lieavily to the 
ground, to snap up some locust or other large insect, or perhaps a lizard or 
other reptile. At all times they are noisy birds, fond of uttering harsh 
croaks and cries, but more particularly is this the case during the breeding 
season, when both sexes spend much of their time sporting and tumbling in 
the air, courting and lovemaking with many a scream and bufliet. They are 
comnioidy known to the English here as "Jays" or "Blue Jays," from their 
ge;ieral superficial resemblance to the bird of that name at home. Their 
native names are KEEll-KUTARONG (Mandingo) and BAKHAR (JolofE). 
Conicim y:eit:';/alens;>,. SENEGAL ROLLER. 
IkuKje. Senegambia. {ILL). 
This is the conanonest Roller in the Gambia, found everywhere and 
at all seasons. Although at certain times of the year they are much sought 
after by the native hunters for their skins (for which they get about sixpence 
apiece fxom the traders), they are generally by no means shy birds, though 
