252 



THE FOOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



1401. Amaurornis phoenicurus. White-breasted Water-hen. 

 It feeds on both grain and insects. Jerd. B. I. Ill, 720. It feeds 

 on insects, molluscs, and grain, etc., F. I. IV, 174. 



Stomachs examined 



Mull.) 



22-1-09. 102 Small seeds. 



3 Leguminous weed seeds. 

 3 Small spiral shells. (Melanin tuberculata. 

 8 Pieces of root. 

 10 Pieces of bulbous root of a water weed. 



1 Small pebble. 

 23-7-08. 1 Liogryllus bimaculatus. 



2 Apis florea. 



1 (Ecophylla smaragdina. 

 1 Phidole malinsi. 

 1 Onthophagus cervus. 



3 Carabid larvae. 



3 Beetles (Remains of Tenebrionids ?). 



6 Opatrum sp. 



1 Aphanus sordidus. 



3 Crickets (remains) ?. 



4 Leguminous weed seeds. 

 57 Small grass seeds. 



7-9-08. 2 Camponotus compressus. 



1 Myrmecocystus setipes. 

 1 Atmetonychus peregrinus. 

 1 Myllocerus sp. 

 12 Phytoscaphus triangularis. 

 3-10-07. 5 Labidura riparia. 



6 Onthophugus cervus. 

 17 Opatrum sp. 

 23 Myllocerus sp. 



Some weed seeds and roots. 

 3 Small stones. 



Broken pieces of shells Corbicula 



favidens. 



8-10-08. 1 Batch of Mantis eggs. 



79 Myllocerus discolor. 



Summary. Of 169 insects taken by 5 birds, 5 are beneficial, 

 121 injurious and 43 neutral. One bird took a batch of Mantis 

 eggs, these being beneficial, 1 took beneficial insects, 4 injurious, 

 and 3 neutral. Three took vegetable matter, chiefly water weeds : 

 2 took shells. 



1402. Gallinula chloropus. Moor-hen. The food of the 

 water hen is chiefly vegetable, but it also take aquatic irsects, 

 larvae and even it is said small fish. Jerd. B. I., Ill, 719, 



orientalis Lank & Unio 



