MASON AND LEFROY. 31 



such a common bird, nor does he frequent large towrs and villages 

 so much. He is always found in and around villages and in thin 

 jungle. Both C. mavrorhynchus, and C. splendens may nearly 

 always be seen in each others company, and their food differs to a 

 very slight extent 



The Jungle Crow is very fond of frogs and lizards, and is often 

 seen worrying the latter to death and then rot eating them. He 

 feeds on carrion and offal, and kitchen refuse just as much as t he- 

 House Crow, and also takes grain. 



Maize in all parts of India North and South- suffers consi- 

 derably from the attack of this bird especially in garden cultivation, 

 and early crops. In Madras, and on the West Coa^t especially, 

 the Jungle Crow does some considerable damage to the paddy when 

 ripening. I noticed this at Coimbatore, Shoranore, Salem, etc. 

 He is a great pest to groundnut cultivation, and in many districts 

 where this crop is grown, coolies with slings have to be employed as 

 bird-scarers. No doubt (7. splendens also attacks paddy and ground- 

 nut, but I did not notice this bird at the time. The Jungle Crow is 

 also very partial to the flowers of the silk-cotton tree- Bombax 

 maldbaricum to all kinds of Ficus, and to Mulberries. 



The insect food is not particularly varied, consisting mostly 

 of dung beetles and various scarabids :Onthophagus, Gymno- 

 pleurus, etc., and weevils. Centipedes are occasionally taken, and 

 these together with grass and weed seeds of various sorts form a 

 very large percentage of its food. The stomachs I have examined 

 have almost invariably contained vegetable matter much in excess 

 of any other food material. 



Flying Termites and swarming caterpillars are similarly taken 

 by both the common species of Crows, and no doubt the Jungle 

 Crow also destroys locusts, though we have no definite records of 

 its doing so. Grasshoppers are taken to some extent and therefore 

 we may assume that locusts are taken also. 



Damage to crops is similar to that caused by the House Crow ; 

 linseed has, however, not been found in a single case. 



