76 



THE tOOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



with the leading cattle. I have seen sixteen birds with twenty-five 

 cattle feeding close together ; not unfrequently quarrels arise, but 

 with King-crows this is never a serious affair, one or other soon 

 moving off, though as a rule not fax. 



At any place where grass lands are being burnt off, King-crows, 

 in numbers, in company with other birds (such as Kites, Blue 

 Jays and Wagtails) are always present, flying after moths and va- 

 rious insects almost through the flames. 



If the insect captured is a large one and especially in the case 

 of moths, it is generally broken up to some extent before being 

 eaten. Moth's wings are often ripped off. This fact a.ffords very 

 good proof that field observations are essential for accurate deter- 

 mination of a large proportionof some birds' food, and that no bird's 

 food material can be put down as only consisting of certain kinds of 

 insects, &c., until very thorough field observations have been made 

 under every possible condition. 



The following table shows the number of insects taken from 

 birds examined during 1907 and 1908, all obtained at Pusa. This 

 table probably includes about three-fourths of the total number of 

 insects in the birds at the time of examination. It is impossible to 

 obtain accurate figures, as in all cases numbers of insects are com- 

 pletely broken up, very often nothing more than the elytra of 

 beetles or heads of moths being visible among the stomach 

 contents 



Giving % of 



1908 9'94 iusects in each bird. 



1907 9-1. 



Imagines of Lepidoptera are not apparently taken to so great 

 an extent as Coleoptera, the numbers shown in the table being com- 

 posed of larvae to the extent of about two-thirds. Very few larvae 

 of beetles are taken, these" being the larvae of Melolonthids (chafers) 



