62 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



As Avill be noticed, the whole time of observation covered a period 

 of tliirteen days, ahhongh the nest was not watched every day. In 

 all the nest was watched for twelve honrs, and the total number of 

 times that food was brought to the young Avas 234, or an average of 

 194^ times per hour. The young were fed as early as 5 o'clock in the, 

 morning and as late as 7 in the evening, thus making for the parent 

 birds a working day of fourteen hours. Only a little plain arithmetic 

 is necessarv to show verv nearlv the number of insects destroved by 

 this family in a single day. 



These observations were made with watch in hand and the time of 

 each feeding noted. In man}^ cases the parent bird was away in 

 search of food only half a minute. Once there was a heavy mist 

 nearly all day. Avhen the mother wren was hard pressed to find food 

 for the ever-gaping mouths of her young. Xo flying insects were 

 abroad, and the supply of caterpillars from the immediate vicinity 

 had been exhausted. In this extremity the mother turned her atten- 

 tion to spiders and was seen to visit the interior of a summer house, 

 also to investigate a pile of flower pots and tubs and to plunge into 

 and under an evergreen hedge in search of something that would 

 answer for food. As the nest was watched at very short range, it was 

 often possible to determine the nature of the food brought by the 

 parent, ^^lien the nestlings Avere very young, it consisted almost 

 entirely of small green caterpillars, commonly called ' canker-worms.' 

 Later this Avas A'aried by tipulid flies (daddy-long-legs), small moths, 

 and spiders. Some of the insects brought Avere not determinable, 

 probably flies and Avasps. 



sr.MMAlil . 



From the aboA'e sketch of the food of the house wren it Avill be seen 

 that there is practically only one item to Avliich exception can be taken, 

 namely, the coccinellid beetles, or ladybugs. But the record is so 

 meager that it is not safe to draw general conclusions. It is jirobable 

 that a more extensive iuA'estigation of the food of the California bird 

 will shoAV that it is' entitled to the same high economic rank as its 

 eastern relative. 



WESTERN :~IARSH A\ REN. 



(/Telmatodytcs pahtstris subspp.) 



The marsh A'ren, as its name nidicates, is a resident of swamps 

 and marshy grounds. At first tliought its food might not appear to 

 be of any economic importance, but investigation shows that it does 

 not differ from that of the orchard Avrens as much as one might infer 

 from difference of habitat. Only 53 stomachs of this species have 

 been obtained for examination. While this number is not sufficient 

 as a basis for final judgment, it suffices to show how closely the food 

 of this sx^ecies resembles that of its congeners. 



