SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
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630 mice, 50 rats, 2 young rabbits, 233 sparrows (imported), 10 starlings 
(imported), 1 little water crate, 1 tomtit, 24 frogs, and 1 small lizard. A 
very striking feature presents itself all through the investigations of the 
food of this bird, and that is the very small percentage of native birds which 
are taken in comparison to the imported pests. The native birds do not 
represent 1 per cent. 
Both the spur-winged plover (Lobibyx nove hollandiw) and the black- 
breasted plover (Zonifer tricolor) are of the greatest economic value, for not 
only are they moving over the ground in quick short runs during the day time, 
their sharp eyes ever on the alert for insect life, but they are about by night, 
thus ridding the land of many very destructive nocturnal insect pests. The 
plover is a family of very wary birds, but in spite of their smartness, the fox 
is taking a big toll of them. The plover, as a rule, does not attempt to build 
any nest, but lays her eggs amidst stones, shingles, or sticks, and depends 
upon protective colouration to avoid detection, but unfortunately the fox 
can locate the nest by the sense of smell. 
In respect to the spur-winged plover, the following are four stomach 
contents :— ; : 
No. 1.—Grasshoppers, crickets, and several species of small insects, 
some vegetable matter. : 
No. 2.—Black beetles, remains of some kind of worms, heads of crickets, 
grit. 
| No, 3.—Remains of grasshoppers, some hard seeds, dung beetles, vege- 
table matter. 
No. 4.—Numerous cricket remains, small beetles, vegetable matter, 
coarse sand. 
Three of the banded plover stomachs showed— 
‘No. 1—Some small crustacea (most likely small crabs), small beetles, 
and. vegetable remains. 
No. 2.—Grasshoppers, small insects, which appeared to be some species — 
of bug, seeds of a native berry, small pieces of quartz. 
No. 3.—Several heads of caterpillars, seeds apparently of some berry, 
vegetable matter, coarse sand. 
500 h- 
