WHITE — Cn some Pellets or Casts of a Screech Owl. 



93 



The fact that a. jew lizard was eaten is of interest as indi- 

 cating that possibly small snakes are also eaten, although no 

 bones of such were noticed in the pellets. No fragments of 

 e°-g shells were seen, and this is also of interest, as these are 

 sS hard and indigestible that, had the owl habitually fed on 

 birds' eggs, some fragments of these must have formed part 

 of the pellets. Very few birds' claws were seen, and practi- 

 cally no flight or tail feathers. 



The following insects, or parts of the same, were identi- 

 tfed as occurring in the pellets:— 



Soldier ant (Myrmecia pyriformis). 



Green-headed ant (Ectatomma metallicum). 



Sugar ant (Camponotus sp.). 



Mole cricket (Gryllotalpa coarctata). 



Ground cricket (Gryllus servillei). 



Large carnivorous cricket (Gryllacris sp.). 



Introduced earwig (LaUdura truncata). 



Fragments of several kinds of cockroaches (Blattidae). 



Numerous night beetles (Antitrogus burmeisteri). 



Numerous dung beetles (Onthopliagus pentacantlms). 



Numerous large cockchafers (Anoplognathus odeivahnii). 



Some pellets were made up almost wholly of remains of 

 these beetles, and, owing to their loose construction, probably 

 others were broken up, and so not examined. 



Thousands of fragments of small cockchafers of the genus 

 Heterom/x, probably of several species of these common night- 

 flying beetles. 



Small stag beetle (Figulus lilliputanus). 



Stag beetle (Lamprima varians). 



Weevil (Desiantlia maculata). 



Weevil (RMnaria tibialis). 



Wire-worm beetle (Lacon caliginosus). 



Night beetle (Pterohelaeus, 2 species). 



Night beetle (Helaeus Magi). 



Beech beetle {Caediomorplia heteromera). 



This and the preceding species were probably taken during 

 a visit to the adjacent beach. 



Longicorn beetle (Phoracantha recur va). 



The pellets vary from the size of a small walnut to that of 

 a hen's egg. When first ejected they are covered with a slimy 



