220 THE FOOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



Stomachs examined contd. 



12-3-07. 9 Paddy grains. 



2 Small weed seeds. 

 20-3-07. 109 Barley grains. 

 24-3-08. 36 Mustard seeds. 



2 Leguminous weed seeds. 

 15 Grass seeds. 

 28-4-08. 44 Oat grains. 



6 Wheat grains. 



Various weed seeds. 

 29-12-08. 31 Paddy grains. 



Various weed seeds. 



These records are a few of a large number examined. Barley i s 

 a very favourite food, one crop examined containing over a hundred 

 of these seeds alone. Wheat and oats are freely taken and also 

 peas and rahar. Every cultivated species of mustards is taken 

 when green and when ripe ; linseed is seldom eaten, though one 

 stomach contained over fifty per cent, of these seeds. Tfcs and the 

 next species are the two commonest doves of the plains, and always 

 haunt cultivated areas, as well as thin jungle. If numerous this bird 

 certainly does some damage to crops of various kinds, though the 

 weed seeds eaten form by far the largest percentage of its food. 

 Tt must also be noted that many of the cultivated seeds and grains 

 taken as food are gleaned up from stubbles, ploughed lands, roads, 

 &c. and often from self-sown plants, not from the standing crops 



1310. T. risorius. Indian Ring Dove. 



Stomachs examined 



12-1-08. 158 Rice grains. 



81 Mustard seeds. 

 6 Peas. 



9 Various weed seeds. 

 3-2-07. 141 Mustard seeds. 



1 Linseed seed. 

 4 Weed seeds. 



3_3_08. 179 Paddy grains. 



33 Mustard seeds. 



21-3-07. 16 Wheat grains. 



4 Linseed seeds. 



2 Barley grains. 

 12 Weed seeds. 



24-3-09. 9 Wheat grains. 



3 Paddy grains. 



3 Panicum p. seedi. 



