128 THE FOOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



troying noxious insects far outweighs the harm. Adult sparrows 

 frequently feed on insects. I have watched them hawking flies in 

 company with the swifts, and the skill displayed by the ' spadger ' 

 showed that his was no ' prentice ' hand at the game. Sparrow 

 nestlings are, in the early stages, fed almost exclusively on caterpil- 

 lars, grubs and insects." There are usually five or six in a nest, 

 and assuming that the hen sparrow feeds them 15 times an hour for 

 12 hours a day for 20 days bringing three caterpillars at each visit, 

 the brood is responsible for the destruction of 10,000 insects, mostly 

 caterpillars. There are two broods at least in the year, thus account- 

 ing for 20,000 insects fed to the young in the nest not inclusive of 

 what the cock and hen eat, and what the cock brings to the nest. 

 Tiny green grubs in a sausage-shaped sack also caterpillars and on one 

 occasion a mulberry were seen fed to the young. ' But it was not 

 often that she gave them fruit ; green caterpillars formed quite nine 

 tenths of what she brought in the remainder was composed chiefly 

 of grubs, with an occasional grasshopper or moth. As the yourg 

 grew older, the proportion of insect food given to them diminished 

 until, when they were about 22 days old, their diet was made up prin- 

 cipally of grain." Dewar B. P., 16-28. 



Common House-Sparrow is only too common at all times ard 

 places. Punjab Gaz., Shahpur, 21. 

 Stomachs examined. 



3-3-07. 1 Coleopterous elytron (Tanymecus sp. ?) 



Grass and weed seeds. 

 28-5-08. 2 Coleoptera (Myllocerus sp. ?, & an Aphodiid ?). 



Small weed and grass seeds. 

 30-5-07. Small weed and grass seeds and apparently some buds. 



A few Ficus seeds. 



21-6-08. Small pieces of weeds, small seeds and broken vegetable matter. 

 9-10-08. Weed and grass seeds, and some vegetable matter. 

 12-10-08. Grass and weed seeds and leaves. 

 2-10-08. 6 Oats (obtained from stable). 

 Small grass and weed seeds. 

 16-11-08. Grass and weed seeds and leaves 



Summary. Three insects only were taken from the stomachs of 

 8 birds ; 2 are injurious and one neutral. One bird contained some 

 oats taken from a stable, and each bird contained grass and weed 

 seeds far in excess of any other food. 



