MASON AND LEfKOY. 165 



Stomachs examined contd. 



7-5-09. 1 Crocothemis servillia. 

 5 Apis indica. 

 2 Apis florea. 

 20-5-08. 7 Apis indica. 



2 A pis florea. 



1 Chrysis sp. , 



3 Rhynchium sp. 

 20-6-08. 1 Camponotus compressus. 



4 (Ecophylla smaragdina. 

 1 Small beetle. 



7-7-08. 1 Apis indica. 



7 Apis florea. 



1 Rhynchium bengalense. 



28-8-08. 1 Polistes hebrceus. 



1 Gymnopleurus parvus. 



8-10-07. 9 Apis florea. 



4 Apis indica. 



9-10-08. 2 Myllocerus discolor. 



12-10-08. 1 Polistes hebrceus. 



1 Vespa orientalis. 



1 Coprid sp. 



Summary. Of 83 insects taken by 13 birds, 70 are beneficial, 

 3 injurious and 10 neutral. Ten birds took beneficial insects, 2 

 injurious and 4 neutral. 



Notes. This bird hawks its prey more in the neighbourhood 

 of water than does M. viridis. It also keeps longer on the wing 

 and does not hawk so near the ground. Insects are, however 

 frequently taken just over the surface of water. These birds are 

 commoner in the hot weather and rains than in the cold weather 

 and usually occur in small flocks of from 4 to 12 birds. 



On several occasions I have seen Noctuid moths taken. At 

 times its food consists entirely of the common wasp Vespa 

 orientalis, and on dull days when dragon-flies are inclined to sit 

 on grass-stems this bird feeds almost entirely on these insects then. 

 Crocothemis servillia is one species I have seen taken in large quan- 

 tities on such times. 



On one occasion I noticed about 40 of these birds hawking 

 insects over a large wood-stack, and they were apparently at the 

 same place for some considerable time. They were feeding pre- 

 sumably entirely on two species of wood-boring beetles Dino- 



