MASON AND LEFROY. 



LIST OF IUUDS EXAMINED. (continued.) 



21 



With regard to the classification of birds according to their 

 food I ca-nnot do better than quote in full a paper by W. L. Sclater 

 (I. M. N., Vol. II, 117-121), which not only gives a classification of 

 the birds of India according to their food in a generalized form, but 

 also supplies much interesting and, from an economic point of view, 

 valuable information. 



The only essential alteration necessary is that of substituting 

 the word ' ' mainly " for " purely ' ' in the heading of ' ' purely insec- 

 tivorous" birds. This is no doubt what the author meant, for no 

 one could class most of these families as purely insectivorous : 

 they are mainly insectivorous certainly, but of those thus grouped 

 it is generally known that the Shrikes [Laniidse] are partially carni- 

 vorous, eating both lizards and small birds : that the Ground Cuckoos 

 [Cuculidae] have a very mixed diet and should possibly be included 

 as omnivorous, and that the Koel and one or two other species of 

 cuckoos entirely or partially exist on fruit only ; that Rollers [Cora- 



