10 
Report ox the Food Found in 
Food of the Rook. 
The chief food of the rook, as far as this examination shows, 
is undoubtedly grain, for. in the 277 birds examined, no less 
than 5,872 wheat, barley and oat grains and useful seeds 
were found. On the other hand, 698 animal organisms were 
found; of these 654 were distinctly harmful. 
The chief injurious insects eaten by the rooks were : — Wire- 
worms, 18S in 146 birds in 1912 ; 1 in 92 birds in 1913, and 
7 in 39 birds in 1914. Click Beetles, only 3 in 146 birds in 
1912, 2 in 1913. and 5 in 1914, evidently but little taken. 
Leather Jackets numbered 15 in 1912, 59 in 1913, and 74 in the 
39 birds up to May. 1914. Chafer larvae only numbered 60 in 
the 277 birds and Surface larvae 58. 
The rook seems to eat comparatively few Mollusc a, only 55 
being found. 
Amongst other insects found in the rooks' food were Hypera 
Weevils ( Hypera punctata) ; Barynotus Weevils ; some Dung 
Beetles, such as GcotYup.es and Aphodius ; a few earwigs ; Dark 
Arches Moth larvae ; Swift Moth larvae, and some Carabid larvae. 
Now and then an earthworm occurred and occasionally a weed 
seed such as buttercup or bindweed. The majority of the 
Carabid larvae are undoubtedly beneficial, f 
Nature of Food. 1912. 
The following list includes, month by month, the food found 
in 146 rooks examined from January, 1912, to December, 1912. 
There was also found much insect and vegetal debris that 
could not possibly be identified and tabulated. 
In a few rooks strange articles were found, such as a bootlace, 
pieces of string, cloth, and even a nail. 
January. — Four birds only received, all shot the same day at Wye. 
These contained only 7 insects, all being Wireworms, 27 Banded Snails 
(. Helicella caperata) and 13 beans in fragments. Two birds also con- 
tained pieces of potato tubers and all contained red-brick fragments. 
February. — During this month 32 birds were examined. These 
contained 27 Wireworms ( Agriotes hcemorrhoidalis , A. lineata , etc.) ; 32 
Surface larvaef ( A gratis exclatnationis) ; 3 Cockchafer larvae ( Melo - 
lontha vulgaris ) ; 1 Carabid larva ; 4 DumbleDor Beetles {Geotrapes ster- 
corarius*) ; 1 Hypera Weevil {Hypera punctata ) ; 12 Stratyomid 
larvae ; 2 Banded Snails ( Helicella caperata ) ; 3 Garden Snails {Helix 
aspersa) ; and 1 Wood Snail {Helix nemoralis) ; there were also 3 
Earthworms f Lumbricus terrestris*). 
The following grains and seeds were also found : — Wheat, 40 grains ; 
oats, 116; maize, 7; peas, 4. In 5 birds were 20 pieces of beans 
* This mark is used throughout the report to denote beneficial organisms. 
f A note is added concerning these larvae under “ The Starling" (p. 25). 
I This insect has been unfortunately recorded here under three popular 
names — Surface Larvae, Cut Worms (an American term), and as the larva of 
the Heart and Dart Moth. 
