CESYLON CROWS TN THE MALAY PENINSULA. .'U 



plentiful supply of elephant meat, which kept them going for the 

 best part of a week. They also ate bananas and boiled rice, though 

 not with the same avidity, and were always specially fond of 

 bathing in the pans of water which I had placed in their cages. 

 When first they were introduced to the caterpillars of the bee 

 hawk moth they regarded them with some suspicion, and 

 only ate one or two. In a very few days' time, however, they 

 devoured every caterpillar, chrysalid, and moth that they could 

 get hold of. Many thousands of these insects have been given 

 to them daily, and there have never been any left over. There 

 can be no doubt whatever, therefore, that a caterpillar diet 

 is quite acceptable to them, directly they get used to it. Since 

 their release they have flown away to the coffee, and have 

 evidently been looking for food there, but I have not been 

 able to see them actually catch the bee hawk moth caterpillars 

 though they very assiduously clean the plantain trees of the 

 caterpillars which roll themselves up in the leaves of this plant. 

 It seems to me that the utility of the crows as enemies to the 

 coffee caterpillar will depend largely upon the numbers of the 

 ■ birds in the place, and the consequent scarcity of the food to which 

 they have been accustomed in Ceylon, that is to say, the refuse in 

 the vicinity of human dwellings. It is only natural that they 

 should prefer such food, especially as it is more easily procured. 

 It was only when the caterpillars appeared in very large numbers 

 that the crows in Ceylon were attracted to them, and so it will be 

 here, in all probability. But there is always the factor with our 

 importations, that they will have got to recognize the coffee cater- 

 pillars and chrysalids as palatable articles of diet before they get 

 their freedom. It has been suggested that the crows should be let 

 loose amongst coffee trees that are badly attacked by caterpillars 

 and which have been previously covered over with netting to 

 prevent the birds from flying away. I should have given this 

 a trial, as no harm could result from letting the birds understand 

 where the caterpillars are to be found, but the present consign- 

 ment is such a small one that it seemed better to leave them all 

 together, and not separate them, as I should have been obliged to, 

 for there are no coffee trees close by just now on which the cater- 

 pillars are to be found in any numbers. So I decided to leave this 

 part of the experiment to a future occasion, when we get in a fresh 

 batch. 



3. Breeding. — I am satisfied that as soon as the crows decide 

 on a suitable spot they will begin to breed. They are often to be 

 seen flying about in pairs already, though I have observed no 

 actual attempt to commence building their nests. Whilst the last 



F 25-03 



