ROLLER, OR DOLLAR BIRD. 
found tLem. He had a pea-rifle and quickly brought one of the birds down, 
dissection proving it to be the male. It measured 11^ inches in length; the 
bfll was reddish orange, feet red, irides dark-brown. When sitting on the 
limbs of the tree the male would fly to the female and caress her by rubbing 
his bill about her head, and uttering the while very discordant and harsh 
notes, not unhke a ‘ song.’ When shot he showed flght right to the last (he 
was shot in the wing only). As he fell the female escaped, and, although we 
hunted the timber for a full half hour could not find her. However, she 
was shot by my brother from the same tree the next day, and is now in the 
collection of Mr. Chandler, Jr. When the female was dissected the eggs were 
found to be about half the size of a pea, and they wouldn’t have been laid 
for quite a month. The nest is placed in a hollow of a tall tree, and the eggs 
are pearly white and very glossy.” 
Mr. A. G. Campbell has written me : “ These birds nest as far south as 
the Murray River near Corowa, and the Goulbourn near Seymour, preferring 
large holes in red gum trees.” 
In the Emu (Vol. II., p. 210, 1903) Berney wrote: “During the summer 
of 1900-1901 the Roller was plentiful about Homestead, on the Campaspe, 
where they commenced arriving on 20th October. By the 3rd November 
their queer chattering could be heard everywhere. Towards the end of the 
following March they got scarce, and I have a note that I heard one on the 
20th April, but did not remember to have done so previously for two or 
three weeks. Out west they are scarce, and I have only met with it three 
times in four years, twice about Richmond and once at the head of the 
Landsborough, in January and March respectively, the latest date being the 
22nd of the latter month.” 
The next year {Emu, Vol. IV., p. 45, 1904) he added : “ Arrives in these 
parts in October, my earliest record being the 7th, in 1902. In the years 
1903 and 1904 they have been all gone by end of first week in April. In my 
previous notes I stated that they were scarce out west, but my experience 
then had been confined to the open downs country, which these birds avoid. 
As a matter of fact, they may be seen or heard any summer’s day among the 
big gums on the Elmders River, from Hughenden down.” 
This was supplemented in Vol. VI., p. 43, 1906, as follows : “ This species 
is a summer visitant in considerable numbers ; arriving in October, it leaves 
again in March or April . . . The feet are light and small, weak-looking for 
the size of the bird. The red bill has an opaque, candle-wax appearance, and 
a pronounced black hook at the extremity.” 
Le Souef, describing birds’ eggs from Port Darwin, Northern Territory 
{Emu, Vol. II., p. 150, 1903), gave the following item : “ These birds soon 
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