106 THE FOOD OP BIRDS IN INDIA. 



During the rains a very favourite hunting ground with the My- 

 nah is banks, grassy or otherwise, in which various species of crickets 

 have their burrows. They may be seen hunting there all day wait- 

 ing for a cricket to come out, but they appear to catch more in the 

 evenings when the crickets come out in greater numbers. King- 

 cuows capture many of these insects at the same place and not in- 

 fra^ueatly rob the Mynahs. The two species of crickets taken in 

 at such times are Brachytrypes achatinus and to a less extent 

 Gryllotalpa africana, ; the latter coming out of their burrows later in 

 the evenings. Mynahs join with crows and king-crows in mobbing 

 snakes. ' I know of few things more amusing than to witness a 

 pair of Mynahs give a snake a bit of their minds as they waltz along 

 baside it in a most daring manner." Dewar, B. P., 97. 



551. Acridotheres ginginianus. Bank Mynah. Usual habits 

 of the group, feeding much with cattle and partaking alike of insects, 

 gcain and fruit. Jerd. B. I., 99, II., 327. When indigo is cut, this 

 bird occurs commonly in the fields for insects ; also among cattle 

 picking insects off their legs. B. N. H. S. J., XVIII., 630. 



Stomachs examined.' 



24-8-08. 1 Cyrtacanthacris ranacea. 



2 Chrotogonus sp. 



2 Gamponotus compressus. 



1 Penthecus sp. (Pusa No. 2442). 



1 Myllocerus sp. 



1 Sphceridium 5-maculatum. 



Chla?.niu8. 



1 Chlcenius sp. (Pusa No. 1172). 



1 Histerid. 



3 Carabids (spp.) 

 23 Diptera. 



30-6-09. 3 Small coleopterous elytra. 



7 Ophiusa melicerte larva. 



1 Nezara viridula. 

 30-6-09. 1 Coleopterous elytron (Tenebrionid ?). 



92 Ophiusa melicerte larvae. 

 30-6-09. 2 Camponotus compressus. 



1 Opatrum sp. 



5 Ophiusa melicerle larvae. 

 30-6-09. 14 Ophiusa melicerte larvae. 

 30-6-09. 12 Ophiusa melicerte larvae. 

 30-6-09. 8 Ophiusa melicerte larvae. 



30-6-09. 7 Ophiusa melicerte larvae. 



