62 FOOD HABITS OF THE GROSBEAKS. 



with blackberries and their crops full of them. I saw many of the berries 

 which they had taken one l)ite from, leaving the rest. 



In New Mexico the bird bears no better reputation, according to 



Jackson Tabor, of P'olsom, who says : 



I have found the black-headed grosbeak to be very destructive to all kinds 

 of vegetables and fruits. They made their first appearance in this countrj- 

 in the year 188S, and they came in swarms. * * * They destroyed the entire 

 crop of gooseberries and commenced on crabapples, eating the apples off the 

 top of the tree as I was picking them off the lower limbs. In the spring and 

 early simimer they take the cherries as fast as they get ripe, and the only 

 remedy seems to be to wage a war of extermination against them. (September 

 2, 1903.) 



Two stomachs were collected in Mr. Tabor's orchard on this date 

 and both contained fruit, that in one stomach being identified as 

 crabapple. 



FolloAving are the results obtained from the investigation of stom- 

 ach contents: Cherries, both ripe and green, were selected by 41 

 of the grosbeaks examined, frequently composing from 45 to 95 

 percent of the stomach contents. All were identified by skins, not 

 a seed being found, showing that the birds here and there bite 

 into a cherry, destroying in this way man}^ more cherries than if 

 thej^ satisfied their appetites by swallowing the fruit entire. Figs 

 were next in order of preference, being devoured by 23 grosbeaks. 

 In some cases they composed from 80 to 100 percent of the food. 

 Among other fruits, remains of plums, crabapples, and apricots 

 were found, each in one stomach, and strawberries in two. Uniden- 

 tified fruit pulp and blackberries had b'een eaten by 23 birds. As 

 noted above, it is uncertain whether these were cultivated or not, 

 but' probably the bulk were cultivated and should be charged against 

 the bird. 



Thus far our investigations have revealed nothing but injury by 

 the bird, but, as will be shown later, the blackhead is not exclusively 

 an enemy. 



Protective methods. — In connection with this subject there re- 

 mains to be considered possible methods of reducing or altogether 

 joreventing loss from depredations by these birds. The plan usu- 

 ally suggested is the one mentioned in the above letter of Mr. 

 Tabor, namely, '' a war of extermination." This is generally effected 

 by poisoning or shooting. 



Aside from the fact that the justice of this method is open to 

 serious question, there is the greater objection that innocent species 

 often suffer equally with or even in greater degree than the marau- 

 der. In illustration we quote from Frank Stephens : " 



At Beale Spring both sexes were common and destroying quantities of 

 fruit, to the great annoyance of the owner of the orchard, who emploj-ed an 



« Condor, \, 1903, p. 103. 



