THE TUTI 275 



to do soQie damage to fruit trees by- 

 eating up the buds. In autumn, it eats 

 berries, and other fruits. It is, however, 

 not a vegetarian all through the year. 

 In spring, it takes to eating insects. The 

 food of the family Fringillidae as a whole 

 consists of both seeds and insects, the 

 latter being the main food during the 

 nesting season when the young are rear- 

 ed on an insect diet. Several English 

 Pinches feed their young with insects. 

 Field observation on the Tuti in this 

 respect does not exist at all. Very likely 

 the Tuti also brings up its young on an 

 insect diet, for at the altitude where it 

 breeds in the Himalayas, grains or seeds 

 are not available. The vegetable food 

 found there is possibly unsuited for the 

 stomach of the young and hence necessity- 

 drives the Tuti to be exclusively insecti- 

 vorous during a part of the year. 



I have already said that the Indians 

 admire its soft and thrilling song but 

 there seems to be a difference of opinion 



