ays BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
foreign-looking bird : it is a rare summer visitant to 
these islands. As far as this county is concerned I 
only know of one instance of its having been taken, 
and that was a good many years ago, at Orchard 
Portman, near Taunton: this specimen came into 
the collection of Mr. Popham, of Bagborough, 
and is now in the possession of Mr. Bisset. 
The food of the Roller, like that of most of the 
Fissirostres, is almost entirely insect, consisting of 
beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects and their 
larvee, to which, in this case, may be added worms 
and small frogs. 
As it is a summer visitor it probably would, if un- 
molested, occasionally breed in this country, but, on 
account of its bright gay plumage, this is not likely 
to be the case. 
The nest is made in a hole ina tree or in a bank; 
it is lined with small fibres, straw, feathers and 
hair. 
The description of this bird I have taken from 
Yarrell :— The beak is black ; irides reddish brown ; 
behind the eye is a triangular naked spot; head, 
neck and wing-coverts greenish blue, approaching in 
richness to verditer-blue; back, scapulars and 
tertials yellowish brown, shoulders and rump China- 
blue; upper tail-coverts Berlin-blue; the two middle 
tail-feathers blackish green; the others for two- 
thirds of their length bluish green, the shafts black ; 
the outer feather on each side tipped with black; 
