WESTERN ROBIN. 95 



stomachs contained wheat and 3 had weed seeds, but dry seeds are evi- 

 dently not favorite food with the robin. 



Destruction of olives. — From the foregoing the robin would not 

 appear to do much damage, or at least not more than is amply paid 

 for by the insects it destroys. But, unfortunately, more is to be said 

 about its food habits, which does not redound so much to its credit. 

 In certain years when their customary food is scarce, robins appear 

 in the valleys in immense numbers, and wherever there are olives 

 they eat them so eagerly and persistently that the loss is often serious 

 ancl occasionally disastrous. Sometimes, indeed, it is only by the 

 most strenuous efforts, with considerable outlay of labor and money, 

 that any part of the crop can be saved. Fortunately, such extensive 

 damage is not done every year, although here and there the olive 

 crop may suffer. 



There is probably no more striking example of exceptional and 

 intermittent damage to fruit by birds than an instance which occurred 

 in the winter of 1000-1901. In that year the olive orchards in 

 various parts of California were invaded by immense numbers of 

 robins, which ate the fruit and in some instances destroyed the whole 

 crop. In orchards where persistent efi'ort v:?is made to destroy and 

 th-ive them away they still ruined from one-fourth to one-half of the 

 yield. Olive orchards in Santa Clara Valley especially were afflicted. 

 Mr. Paul IVIasson, who owns two orchards near Saratoga, as quoted 

 by the San Jose Mercury of January 17, 1901, says: 



In my largest orchard of about 500 trees adjoining a larger orchard of about 

 50 acres on the El Quito farm, which is owned by E. E. Goodrich, are thousands 

 of robins, which are destroying all the fruit on the trees. About two months 

 ago I estimated that ]uy trees would yield about 4 tons of olives, but Sunday, 

 when I visited my orchard, I found the fruit would not be worth picking. 



I killed some of the robins, and upon examination found as many as five or 

 six whole olives in the crop of each bird. Besides those which the bird had 

 swallowed whole, many olives are pecked so that they are spoiled for market. 

 Sunday there were not less than 50,000 robins on my place, and they are equally 

 as plentiful on El Quito farm. 



Mr. Edward E. Goodrich, the owner of El Quito farm and olive 

 orchard, quoted b}^ the same authority, says: 



The so-called rolMn is a destructive pest to an olive orchard. A crop can not 

 be saved when the migration of the robin corresponds exactly with the maturity 

 of the olive, as it does this year, except by inunediate picking, wliich is prac- 

 tically impossible, or by shooting so constantly as to prevent steady consump- 

 tion. * * * In 189S my crop was V^O tons, and should have made about 

 4,000 gallons of oil. Owing to the lack of rain the result was al)out 2.750 gal- 

 lons, of the value of .$11,000. Now, that crop could have been wiped out in ten 

 days by robins if they had been here as they were this season and no shooting 

 had Iiccn done. So far as my foi'cnian could estimale. before the birds 

 descended upon the place, he ])]nccd the crop at a probable :'>.000 gallons, which 

 means when sold from .$1L>.(MI() to .$p;.(l(to, according to prices, and that would 

 have been utterly destroyed but for the constant shooting the last ten days. 



