326 
MR. J. HAMMOND ON FOOD OF BIRDS. 
ing field having been patched in the autumn with clover. 
December. — 69 per cent, of the birds examined this month 
contained the leaves of some crop. The bulk of the diet 
consisted of weed seeds, chiefly Polygonum aviculare and 
Chenopodium album. On one occasion wheat was taken 
from the autumn sowings. The only insects that occurred 
were two Weevils. 
January. — -The food consisted mainly of weed seeds ; those 
which occurred in largest numbers were Polygonum aviculare, 
Chenopodium album, and Rumex Acetosella. 73 per cent, of 
the birds examined contained the leaves of some crop. 
Extremely few insects occurred. 
The number of each food article that would occur in ten 
average stomachs has been calculated, and a few of the most 
important are as follows 1 grain of Barley, 3 Clover seeds, 
61 seeds of Papaver Rhoeas, 157J seeds of Potygonum 
aviculare, 45 Aphids, 9 Weevils, and clover or rye grass leaf 
would occur in 2^ out of the 10 birds. From this and from 
the details of the food for each month above, it will be seen 
that weed seeds are far and away the most important article 
of diet, harmful insects come next, with crop leaves and 
“small seeds” forming a small proportion. The food of the 
lark may be summed up as follows : — The bulk of the food 
consists of weed seeds ; this is eked out in the summer 
months by insects and in the winter by pieces of leaf for the 
most part of crops. 
Both Saunders 13 and Newton 15 state that there is a 
migration of larks to this country in the autumn from 
northern Europe and a return in the spring. From this it 
would follow that the damage to leys and wheat is done for 
the most part by the migratory birds, but the damage to 
“ small seeds ” is probably done by the birds breeding here. 
The conclusion reached is that on the whole, the lark is 
lo. Newton, A., and Gadow, H. A Dictionary of Birds. London, 
1893. 
