^°i'8^'^] Beal, Food of European Birds. I 3 



tion, but as a great part of this was eaten in tlie months after 

 August it would seem to an American farmer that it must be 

 mostly waste grain picked up in the stubble fields. Leaves were 

 eaten to the extent of 27 J per cent and a large amount of these 

 were leaves of clover. While a bird that eats clover leaves may 

 be potentially harmful, it is evident that the birds must be wonder- 

 fully abundant in order to do the clover much damage by simply 

 eating the leaves. A great number might possibly hurt the forage 

 by breaking it down and sitting upon it. Besides clover leaves, 

 the Pigeon also eats the leaves of turnip and several weeds, as 

 well as the seeds of beans, peas, clover, turnips, weeds and some 

 trees. Roots and underground stems (mostly potatoes) are eaten 

 to the extent of 8^ per cent. Mr. Gilmour's conclusions are 

 entirely against the Pigeon. He says : " Though grain be left 

 entirely out of court, the Pigeon stands utterly condemned by the 

 heavy black score still standing against him for root-crop and 

 clover-leaf destruction." While we know nothing about this bird 

 practically, we are inclined to think that further observation and 

 thought will serve to render the score several shades lighter. 



Of the Starling, 175 stomachs were examined, collected in 

 every month, though but few were taken in July, August, October 

 and December. Like the Rooks and Wood Pigeons, the Starlings 

 were all taken within a small area of country. With regard to 

 the food in these stomachs, Mr. Gilmour says. "... Starlings 

 are most monotonous in regard to diet. All the food-stuffs found 

 in the crops and gizzards examined are conveniently grouped 

 thus: (i) grubs; (2) insects, etc. ; (3) cereal grains ; (4) miscel- 

 laneous." 



Of these the first two amount to 70 per cent of the whole food, 

 and the third to 22 per cent. This grain is very properly not 

 reckoned as being very valuable, as the tables show that most of 

 it was taken after harvest time, so that the comparative usefulness 

 of the bird is made to depend upon the character of the insect 

 food. Mr. Gilmour does not seem to have any very definite 

 method of determining comparative quantities of food, for he 

 says : " The how much of each kind cannot, of course, be stated ; 

 but the impression which one gets from careful and close examin- 

 ation of the contents of any large batch of Starlings is that the 



