254 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



more or less abundant in summer, and of course 

 always a very conspicuous object, more especially 

 from its habit of sitting on bare boughs, wooden 

 posts, and rails and telegraph-wires, whence it darts 

 upon both flying and creeping insects, and generally 

 returns to its perch in the same manner as our 

 common Spotted Flycatcher and Red-backed Shrike. 

 The Roller is generally considered and has been 

 often described as a shy and wary bird, but our own 

 experience is that we have always been able to 

 procure specimens Avithout much difficulty, and 

 might occasionally have killed many of these beau- 

 tiful birds without moving from one spot had we 

 been murderously inclined. This species has a 

 curious habit of turning somersaults in the air, after 

 which performance it generally darts downwards 

 with a harsh and grating chatter ; these antics are 

 generally carried on by the male birds while the 

 females are sitting. The flight of the Roller is light 

 and rapid, but on the ground its actions are clumsy 

 and grotesque. The usual nesting-places of this bird 

 are the cavities of hollow trees or holes and crevices 

 in banks and cliff's, but we have known of more than 

 one nest in ruined walls ; the materials are a few 

 twigs and some dried grass, but when the birds 

 choose a hole in a sandy bank they seldom make 

 much if any nest. The eggs are very much rounded, 

 of a pure glossy white, and generally five or six in 

 number. Besides their usual insect diet, these birds 

 occasionally take frogs and small reptiles ; we once 

 discovered some remains of figs in the stomach of 

 a bird of this species, but imagine that they were 

 swallowed unintentionally with some insect food. 



