MASON AND LEFROY. 13 



damage over a larger area. It is (and probably will remain so), 

 a much debated question as to whether damage to jowari or the 

 destruction of locusts is the most important factor. 



A bird injurious to a crop may do harm to that crop in various 

 ways, but this damage may be entirely counteracted by the bird's 

 other feeding habits, especially during the breeding season, when 

 it will be found in some cases that vast quantities of caterpillars 

 are fed to the young. And again, owing to the construction of the 

 stomachs of young birds, caterpillars are often fed to the young of 

 birds which, when mature, are. almost purely grain-eatii)g. The 

 stomach of young birds is not so powerful as that of older birds in 

 most species, and therefore needs softer food. We commonly hear 

 or see it stated that a bird is a pest, and should be kept down in 

 numbers, because it has been observed to damage fruits, vegetables, 

 and so forth. The informant totally ignores what form of food has 

 been taken by this bird during the rest of the year. It will, as often 

 as not, be found with careful observation that the food then consists 

 of insects, many of which are injurious, slugs, &c., and the conclu- 

 sions arrived at and stated, from one or two casual field observa- 

 tions, are exactly contrary to the real facts of the case. 



It is also important to note that the breeding season of most 

 birds common in the plains takes place during the cold weather 

 and the earlier part of the hot weather. It is during this time that 

 the first broods of a number of our caterpillar pests appear. A 

 check on these insects before they have had time to multiply to ai,y 

 extent is all-important, and this check will be given provided we 

 have the birds on the spot to give it. Many birds, such as ciows, 

 apparently feed little on caterpillars until these insects have become 

 very numerous, in fact, when they are swarming, and any number 

 eaten at that time does little good, certainly very little in compari- 

 son to that done by a bird that feeds on them habitually. A bird 

 that eats a few swarming caterpillars in the first broods, and when 

 they have not reached any terious proportions, does infinitely moie 

 good than if the caterpillars were only taken when they were noticed 

 to be swarming, even if at the latter time these caterpillars formed 



