II 



seem therefore that they are not eaten by birds to any marked 

 extent. 



Centipedes. — Found in a single instance only, so that one may 

 infer that they are rarely eaten by birds. 



Wood lice. — Not found in the stomach contents or pellets ; 

 but a Starling was tempted to carry one to its young (see p. 61). 

 These animals are very probably distasteful, though toads feed 

 upon them to some extent both in captivity and in a wild 

 state. 



Snails and Slugs (Mollusca) . — Small land snails are eaten by 

 many species of birds, but there were relatively few slugs found 

 in the course of this investigation, which may be due to the 

 few examinations of the stomachs of those birds which are 

 credited with feeding upon these animals. The most note- 

 worthy record is that of the Tawny Owl (No. 501), in the stomach 

 of which several grey slugs were found. 



Earthworms. — These were met with in very few instances, 

 though it is a well-known fact that these animals form a large 

 proportion of the food of Thrushes, Starlings, and other birds. 

 They are so rapidly digested that little or no trace of them may 

 be found even in those birds which habitually feed upon them. 



Fish. — The observations made on the fish-eating birds 

 are so few that comment is scarcely necessary, and all the more 

 so, seeing that in many instances it was impossible to identify 

 the species owing to the nature of the remains ; but some of the 

 records show that birds which subsist very largely on a fish 

 diet also occasionally eat insects. 



Frogs. — Found in three instances : in a Bittern (No. 711), 

 in a Sparrow Hawk (No. 598), and in a Kestrel (No. 626), 

 but there is nothing new in these records. 



Birds.— Many of the smaller birds, such as the Pipits, Sky- 

 lark, Finches, Warblers, Thrushes, &c, fall a prey to the Hawks 

 and Owls ; but the only one found to contain the remains of a 

 game bird was the Common Buzzard (No. 581). The Peregrine, 

 the Sparrow Hawk, and the Merlin feed upon birds to a greater 

 extent than possibly any other species, but all birds of prey feed 

 to some extent upon their feathered relatives. 



Birds' Eggs. — These were found in four instances only. Once 

 in the stomach of a Raven (No. 374), in which there could be 

 no doubt that the whole egg of a Grouse had been eaten ; 



