GARRULOUS ROLLER'. 
far as I know, has it ever been tamed, or tauglit 
to speak. It's plumage is beautlfal : it has an 
assemblage oi the finest shades of blue iand 
[ green, mixed with white, and heightened by 
the contrast of dusky colours. But a good 
figure is superior to any description. The 
young do not assume the delicate azure till 
the second year; Vv'hereas the Jays are deco- 
rated with their most beautiful feathers before 
they leave the nest. 
The Rollers build, when it is in their 
power, on Birches ; and it is only when they 
cannot find these, that they lodge in other trees» 
But, in countries where wood is scarce, as in the 
island of Malta and in Africa, they form their 
. xitst, as it is said, on the ground. If this be 
a fact, it will follow, that the instincts of ani- 
mals can be modified by situation, climate, &c.'' 
According to BufFon, these birds associate 
.with the Woodpeckers and Crows, in the 
tilled grounds near forests, where they pick 
up small seeds, roots, and wonns; and that 
they also feed on wild berries. Grasshoppers, 
and even Frogs : but he does not agree with 
Schwenckfeld, that they devour carrion. 
Aldrovandus,'^ 
