752 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



matter. In spite of the fact that insects are not readily found during 

 March, December, and January, they formed 73.30 and 24 per cent, 

 respectively, of the food of the meadow lark during these months. 

 The general character of the animal food is shown by the following 

 statement : 



Animal food of the meadow Jarl\ 



Per cent. 



Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets) 29. 



Coleoptera: May beetles, 4; Rhycophora, 3 ; other forms represent- 

 ing about 12 families, 3 ; CarabidtB, 7 18. 



Lepidopterous larva- 8. 



Hemiptera 4.0 



Coleopterous larv;e 3. 



Ants 3.0 



Other liymenoptera (wasps, etc. ) 1.5 



Spiders, my riapods, etc 5.0 



Other animal matter 2 



Total animal matter 71.7 



In the case of the Baltimore oriole examination was made of 113 

 stomachs of birds collected from 12 States, the District of Columbia, 

 and Canada, and ranging from Massachusetts to Kansas and North 

 Dakota. All were, with one exception, taken during the months from 

 April to August, inclusive. The following table shows the approximate 

 Ijercentage of the principal animal food for the 6 months: 



For the 6 months 83.4 per cent of the total food was animal and 16.6 

 per cent vegetable. 



Among the noteworthy facts are the proportion of caterpillars eaten, 

 the taste shown for wireworms (Elaterida?) and the very small propor- 

 tion of useful insects (Carabidje) destroyed. 



A still further remarkable fact is that among the Hemiptera are 

 included scale lice and plant lice. The former were found in 8 and the 

 latter in 4 stomachs. 



Our home birds, B. H. Warren {Pennsylvania Sta. Bpt. 1895, pp. 

 2M-265). — In this largely compiled report the author treats very popu- 

 larly the more common birds of prey, sparrows, and warblers included 

 among the more than 300 avian species and subspecies recorded either 

 as resident or as transitory visitors in the State. The promiscuous 



