44 THE POOD OP BIRDS IN INDIA. 



Daring the nesting season the Tree-pie is said to rob other birds' 

 nests, being very fond of nestlings and eggs. B. N. H. S. J., XIV, 

 164. Orthotomus sutorius, B. N. H. S. J., XIII, 622. Young 

 Thamnobia cambaiensis, B. N. H. S. J., XVI, 503, and is also said 

 to persecute Zosterops palpebrosa at the breeding season, B. N. H. 

 S. J., XIII, 623. It takes doves' eggs. Dewar B. P., 69. I have 

 seen it eating a young Arachnechthra asiatica, but do not know if the 

 Tree-pie had killed it. 



The young are fed almost entirely on caterpillars, fruit perhaps 

 forming some proportion of their diet. 



My records of 12 stomachs of this species examined in 1907, 

 together with a number of stomachs (bottled) have been mislaid. 

 I noted in a report at the end of that year as follows : " It is to 

 a large extent a vegetable feeder, taking amongst other fruits those 

 of the ber (Zizyphus jujuba), pipal and various other species 

 of Ficus and apparently a large proportion of its diet consists 

 of weed seeds. It sometimes feeds on the ground, but never feeds 

 on young plants or crops, or on planted seeds : leaves of variors 

 kinds are eaten though to a minor extent. Insects and spideis 

 are eaten though to a less extent than vegetable matter, several 

 stomachs examine..! containing neither. As a rule, several insects 

 occur, these h^irg small crickets, ants of various la-ge ope<'ie.< (i.'am- 

 ponotus, Myrmecocystus, &c.) and beetles, mostly Tenebriomd*. 

 Caterpillars form a large portion of the insect-food, these being 

 mostly G-eometrids, none are hairy, and the scutella of various small 

 Hemiptera are almost always present. I noted two birds to have 

 taken spiders, one spider in each. bird : a Chrysis sp. occurred once. 

 This bird occasionally takes small snails. It frequently hawks in 

 Bungalow verandahs, taking lizards and moths and occasiorally 

 beetles." 



17. D. leucogastm. Southern Tree-pie. Fruit only. Jerd. 

 B. I., II, 318. 



18. D. himalayensis. Himalayan Tree-pie. Feeds on trees 

 on insects and fruit. I have, however, seen it on the ground eating 

 grain. Jerd r B. I., II, 316. 



