Note 1 — Chapter XVII · THE LOCUSTS: THEIR FUNCTION; THEIR ORGAN OF SOUND

Let us now consult the illustrious black-footed tribe, so warmly celebrated by Tousserel.1 The head of the family is the Wheatear, the Cul-blanc,2 as the Provençal calls him, who grows disgracefully fat in September and supplies delicious material for the skewer. At the time when I used to indulge in ornithological expeditions, I made a practice of jotting down the contents of the birds’ crops and gizzards, so as to become acquainted with their diet. Here is the Wheatear’s bill of fare: Locusts, first of all; next, many various kinds of Beetles, such as Weevils, Opatra, Chrysomelæ, or Golden-apple-beetles, Cassidæ, or Tortoise-beetles, and Harpali; in the third place, Spiders, Iuli,3 Woodlice and small Snails; lastly and rarely, bramble-berries and the berries of the Cornelian cherry.