3S British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



irregular than it reall}' is. It is rather a late breeder, and in the month of May 

 it had evidently not commenced to sit." 



In India this species meets with the allied, though quite distinct, Indian 

 Roller, with which, according to Bl3'th, it interbreeds, but this statement needs 

 confirmation, although it is a well ascertained fact that the Indian and Burmese 

 Rollers hybridize in a wild state. 



Lord Lilford says : — " Our own principal acquaintance with this species has 

 been in Spain, Turke}', and Algeria, in all of which countries it is more or less 

 abundant in summer, and of course always a very conspicuous object, more 

 especialh' 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 Fly- 

 catcher 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 without much difficulty, and might 

 occasionally have killed many of these beautiful 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 down- 

 wards 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 clifis, 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 sand}^ 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." (Birds of Northamptonshire, pp. 253-4). 



The harsh chatter spoken of above is stated by Howard Saunders to be 

 syllabled b}^ the Germans as " Racker-racker," but by the Spaniards as " Carlanco- 

 carlanco." He also says that the eggs are not invariably globular, " but sometimes 

 elongated," and that " incubation lasts nearly three weeks, commencing early or 

 late in May, according to the country." Both sexes appear to take part in 

 incubation. 



Seebohm renders the note of this bird as "a loud harsh wrack ivrack" ; he 

 specially remarks upon its restlessness and its habit of using its wings in prefer- 



