A. F. C.-H. EvERSiiED 65 



pheasant to agriculture, we have to take into account the probable 

 source whence the grain has been obtained. The fact that a good deal 

 of grain is found in crops from July 21 onwards, when the corn is just 

 ripening for harvest and during and after harvest, suggests that its 

 source is lodged patches of corn and stubble. 



August, 22 crops. Besides a good deal of grain, probably from stubble, 

 there is a miscellaneous vegetable diet of blackberries and weed seeds of 

 various species. One bird, XXVI 5, had taken "much" clover, and 

 3000 seeds of rye grass. Among the insects eaten, ants are conspicuous. 



Sepleiiiber, 16 crops. The vegetable diet is much the same as for 

 August, except that more of the crops contain a small amount of clover. 

 A good many crane-flies (parents of the "leather-jacket") figure among 

 the insects eaten. 



October, 18 crops. The favourite food seems to be the seeds of chick- 

 weed and black bindweed, and, towards the end of the month, acorns 

 and spangle galls from oak-leaves. Two birds {XXXII 3 and XXXII 4) 

 had, however, stolen considerable quantities of germinating rye — 144 

 grains and 178 grains respectively. 



November, 8 crops, mostly containing weed seeds (especially Pemcan'a, 

 Carex and bindweed, but also many others) and spangle galls from oak- 

 leaves. None of the birds had done any harm. 



December, 16 crops. The food is the same as for November with the 

 addition of a considerable number of acorns. 



Cecil Warburton. 



School op Aoeicultdre, 

 Cambridge. 



March 20lh, 191(j. 



Pheasants and Agriculture. 



This investigation as to the food of pheasants was carried out at 

 the request of the East Anglian Game Protection Society, whose members 

 supplied the pheasants' crops for examination throughout the year 

 1914. My thanks are due to Mr Sidney Armstrong for help in the 

 identification of weed seeds and to Mr Cecil Warburton for checking 

 my determination of the insects. 



During this work the crops of 311 pheasants were examined. Unfor- 

 tunately on two occasions the contents of many crops (40 in one case, 

 50 in another) were mingled, but this was thought to be unsatisfactory 

 and thereafter the crops were' kept separate. 



.Juurn. of A"rio. Sci. ix 5 



