MASON AND LEFROY. 365 



centage. The pheasants, partridges, quail, jungle fowl and other 

 Phasiamdce-s,re, known to feed on them at all times, even " scratch- 

 ing in the nests " to get them. 



It is extremely significant that there is no record of one of the 

 Parasitic Hymenoptera, the Ichneumons, as food of our birds ; 

 they are the direct checks on insect attack and are nearly all para- 

 sites. They are extremely abundant and apparently wholly un- 

 touched by birds, while they are the greatest direct check on insect in- 

 crease we have ; were birds addicted to feeding on them, it would 

 be extremely hard to assess their value and it immensely increases 

 the value of birds that they do not feed on them,. Of the wasps, ruby- 

 wasps, and digger wasps, which in the main are beneficial, there are 

 a few records but not a large amount. For the bees, the Bee-eaters 

 are very destructive and we have no good word to say for these birds. 

 As a rule the bees, wasps and rubywasps are not eaten and are more 

 or less immune, which, as most are beneficial, is to the credit of the 

 birds. Many birds feed on ants but, while ants do good, they also do 

 harm, and a world over-run by unchecked ants would be unbearable 

 to man. 



Birds feed largely on Dung-beetles which we here regard aa 

 neutral ; they feed also on Cockchafers which are distinctly destruc- 

 tive, and fortunately they feed on the grubs turned up by the 

 plough, this being the destructive stage. 



A few birds feed on Cicindelids while many feed on Carabids, 

 both beneficial groups probably and both extremely abundant. 

 .Of the very abundant Coccinellids (Lady -bird beetles), very few 

 are found to be eaten by birds, probably partly owing to their habits 

 and small size, and partly to their distastefulness. Coccinellids 

 are usually found on leaves, feeding on plant-lice, etc., and birds ear- 

 not as a rule get insects off leaves unless by hovering, as they have 

 no support while feeding ; this is a point of very great importance 

 in considering what birds eat ; ground insects are easily preyed on 

 by birds but insects on leaves are not since the bird cannot perch 

 on the leaf and must either make a dart or hover ; when an outbreak 

 o ^caterpillars occurs, the birds do not gather till the caterpillars 



