760 

 (e) STOiVlACH CONTENTS OF BIRDS. 



By Arthur M. Lea, F.E.S., Museum Entomologist. 

 [Co?ifnhiifion from the South Australian Musfif>fi.'\ 



The stomachs brought back by Captain White were nearly 

 all of small birds, and many contained specimens of insects, or 

 fragments of same, that certainly belong to undescribed 

 species. Some of them contained amazing numbers of ants ; 

 in fact, ants appear to be the staple food of many Central 

 Australian birds, and they bulk largely in most stomachs. 

 Most of the seeds found in the stomachs were sent to Mr. J. H. 

 Maiden (Government Botanist of New South Wales), and we 

 have to thank him for all the botanical names given in 

 brackets; these, he writes, were from determinations by his 

 assistant (Mr. Carne). 



In the following list only the technical names of the birds 

 are given, the popular ones will be found in Captain White's 

 own paper ; they are in the same sequence : — 



Peltohyas australis. — Two caterpillars: head and abdomen 

 of small male ant ; vegetable matter ; many small p-ebbles. 



Cerchneis cenchroides. (D — Some fine grit. 



Neopsephotits hourkii. — Crop — Distended with hundreds 

 of small round seeds ; a few larger seeds. Stomachs (1) — A 

 few of the round seeds as in crop, and some fine grit. (2) — As 

 :first stomach. 



Cyanalcyon j^yi^^hopygius. — Four lizards, or remnants of 

 same (one Lygosoma lesueurii, two Amphiholurus reticu- 

 latvs^2)), 



Heteroscenes pallidus. — Two wingless grasshoppers (Tri- 

 goniza) ; two heads and other parts of another species of grass- 

 topper ; many other fragments of insects. 



Neochalcites hasalis. — Large hairy caterpillars ; three 

 small caterpillars ; fragment of beetle ; small amount of grit. 



Whiteornis goodenovii. — (1) — Six caterpillars, fragments 

 of scutellerid bug ; fragments of small weevil (Desiantha [ ?]) ; 

 small beetle (Forniicomus) ; head of small ant (Pheidole, 

 soldier) ; many other fragments of insects. (2) — Eleven cater- 

 pillars ; chinch bug (Nysius vinitor) ; larva of ant-lion ; bits 

 of small weevils ; head of meat-ant (Iridomyrmex detectus, var. 



(1) In this stomach there were four nematode worms, one with 

 its head buried in the stomach wall ; they are evidently true 

 stomach parasites, and the first I have ever seen from a bird, 

 although in the intestines and elsewhere in many birds nematode 

 and tapeworms are abundant. 



(2) Tdentifications bv Mr. F. R. Zietz. 



