MASON AND LEPROY. 141 



Summary. Of 230 insects taken by 53 birds, 6 are beneficial, 

 60 neutral, and 164 injurious. Three birds took beneficial insects, 

 17 neutral and 42 injurious. Forty birds took vegetable matter, in 

 only two instances was the food composed entirely of this food. 

 Thirteen birds had taken insects only. Five had taken snails, and 

 one a wheat grain. A large proportion, at any rate, of the uniden- 

 tifiable insects was probably weevils of common species. 



Conclusion. Beneficial. 



871. Mirafra erythroptera. Red-winged Bush-Lark. 

 Stomachs examined 



13_4_08. 3 Myllocerus sp. 



18 Leguminous weed seeds. 

 27-4-09. 1 Camponotus compressus. 

 3 Tanymecus sp. 



Grass and weed seeds. 

 5-5-07. Various coleopterous remains. 

 Grass and other weed seeds. 



Summary. Six injurious insects and 1 neutral insect were taken 

 by 3 birds. All contained weed seeds. 



877. Ammomanes phcenicura. Rufous-tailed Finch-Lark. 

 Seeds of various kinds and hard insects. Jerd. B. L, II, 423. 



879. Pyrrhulauda grisea. Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark. '* Or- 

 tolan/' Jerd. B. L, II. , 425. Bombay Gaz., Ahmedabad, IV., 84. 



The Larks feed on insects and seeds of various kinds. From 

 the stomach records these seeds apparently consist for the most 

 part of grass, at any rate in the common species. Most species are 

 found in the plains. Otocorys are hill birds, while Calandrella are 

 mostly winter migrants to the plains, other genera containing hill 

 species, plains species or migrants. 



Alauda gulgula, Calandrella 3 spp. and Pyrrulauda grisea are 

 5 species which are captured in large numbers and sold as "Ortolans/' 

 all being beneficial species. 



NECTARINIID.E. 



SUN-BIRDS. 



These birds feed on the nectar of flowers and minute insects, 

 and many chiefly on spiders. Jerd. B. I., I, 359. 



