168 THE FOOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



eats it, and then flies off again. They occasionally sit on a lump 

 of earth in a ploughed or cultivated field, and sometimes on grass 

 itself on grass lands, and hawk their food from there. I have seen 

 it capture and eat on the ground Gryllodes melanocephalus, Gryl- 

 lotalpa africana, Ants (Camponotus compressus), Termites, beetles 

 of various kinds (Trox, Opatrum, &c.) and also large beetle grubs 

 possibly Melolonthids. Insects are seldom captured on the wing 

 in fact only when the flying Termites emerge in the early part of 

 the rains, and at that times the Blue Jay feeds almost exclusively 

 on these insects. 



The young are fed largely on crickets and large grubs or cater- 

 pillars. I have only been able to observe one nest and did not 

 discover this until the young were nearly ready to fly. The old 

 birds are wary and give little chance for accurate observation. 



On several occasions 1 have seen a Blue Jay attempt to rob 

 a Magpie-robin's (Copsychus saularis) nest, which was in a hole 

 in a tree, both when it contained eggs and young, but the robins 

 succeeded in driving it off on each occasion. We may, therefore, 

 conclude that at any rate sometimes the .Blue Jay eats the eggs 

 and the young of other birds. 



At the breeding season the most extraordinary powers of flight 

 are exhibited and it is from this that one of the bird's common 

 English names " Roller " is derived. At other times the flight 

 is lazy and slow, even when flying to the ground to obtain food, 

 and gives one the impression that the bird could not be in a hurry 

 if he tried. 



Conclusion with Notes. 



This bird is certainly beneficial. The plumage is very gaudy 

 and it is possible that some numbers of this bird's skins are 

 exported for sale or otherwise to other countries. But should this 

 bird be protected it is not only at the port of export that legislation 

 is required. This much protection already exists. Being one of 

 our common species of birds, and the gaudy colour very striking to 

 any one new to .the country, numbers of these birds are shot by 



