90 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



but more than four-fifths of the whole was contained in the stomachs 

 of broods 7 and 8. The average percentage for these two broods was 

 over 22 percent, or about three times that of the whole. Again, 

 Hemiptera, in the stomachs of broods Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, amount 

 to an average of less than -i percent, but in brood No. 8 the average 

 per stomach is over 53 percent of the food. Spiders were found in 

 nearly every stomach of broods 1 to 4, while the other four broods 

 contained very few. These facts indicate that birds exercise com- 

 paratively little choice as to the exact nature of their food, but take 

 that which is nearest to hand. ^Vith a brood of hungry young inces- 

 santly clamoring for supplies little opportunity is afforded the busy 

 parents to select precisely the kind of insects best adapted to the 

 wants of the young. Nature teaches that insect food and not vege- 

 table is needed and the gaping mouths are filled with the nearest 

 obtainable supply. 



In addition to the examination of stomachs of nestling thrushes 

 field observations were made on the feeding of the young by the par- 

 ent birds. Two nests of this species in the town of Hayward, Cal., 

 were observed during several days in June and July, 1901. Each 

 nest was watched for two one-hour periods on as many days as pos- 

 sible, and the number of times that the young were fed was carefully 

 noted. 



It may be said, to begin with, that the stomachs of young birds are 

 kept constantly full during the hours of daylight. 



Nest No. 1 was situated on a tree on the bank of a small creek on 

 the edge of an orchard. When first observed, there were three young 

 in the nest, apparently about five days old. This nest was watched 

 for one hour from 9.40 a. m. on June 30, and the young were fed 

 six times, but, as both parent birds came to the nest once with food 

 in their beaks and went away without feeding the young, it is prob- 

 able that they were not quite satisfied as to the intentions of the 

 observer. At 4.25 p. m. of the same day another hour was spent in 

 watching the nest, and the young were fed 11 times. On July 1, 

 beginning at 8.30 a. m., 7 feedings occurred in one hour. This nest 

 was not again watched until July 3 at 8.40 a. m., when the young 

 were fed 8 times during the hour. In the afternoon of the same day, 

 beginning at 3 o'clock, 12 feedings were observed in one hour. The 

 last observation of this nest was made on July 5, beginning at 9 a. m. 

 In an hour 13 visits with food were noted. In the case of this brood 

 there were 57 feedings in six hours, or an average of 9^ feedings per 

 hour. As there were three young, each one must have been fed a lit- 

 tle more than three times per hour. 



Nest No. 2 also contained three young, but they were only about 

 2 days old when first visited. The first observation was on June 30, 



