LAND BIRDS. 459 



the birds pull up sprouting grain, either corn, wheat or oats, and they 

 also pick up any grain left uncovered; but it is during the harvest season, 

 and especially during the time when corn is "in the milk," that their attacks 

 are most important. These facts show conclusively that the Crow Black- 

 bird or Bronzed Grackle is a serious foe to the farmer whenever it occurs 

 in large numbers. Many instances are on record of flocks numbering 

 thousands, or even tens of thousands, which have visited cornfields and 

 grain fields, doing a vast amount of damage in a short time. 



The Grackle also eats considerable quantities of fruit at certain times, 

 the figures furnished by stomach examinations being 13 percent in June 

 and 10 percent in July. The fruits most commonly attacked are rasp- 

 berries, blackberries, cherries, and mulberries, but ordinarily no great 

 damage is done. 



One other serious accusation is made against the Grackle, namely, 

 that it robs the nests of other birds, devouring their eggs and young. That 

 this is true to a limited extent is shown both by numerous direct observa- 

 tions and by the stomach analyses. The latter, however, show that remains 

 of eggs and young birds were found in only 37 of the 2,346 stomachs ex- 

 amined, or in less than one stomach in 63. During seventeen summers' 

 observation on the campus of the Michigan Agricultural College, where 

 from fifty to one hundred pairs of these Grackles nest every year, we have 

 but twice seen Grackles robbing the nests of other birds, and very rarely 

 have birds been seen mobbing or attacking the Grackles, which seems to 

 be pretty good proof that they do not regularly pillage the nests of other 

 species. 



Turning now to the brighter side of the Grackles character we find that 

 the work which it does in the destruction of insects is of the most interesting 

 and valuable kind. As stated already, 27 percent of the entire food of the 

 year consists of insects, but these are eaten in quantities which vary with 

 the season. Thus in March insects formed 17 percent of the food, in April 

 25 percent, in May 63 percent, in June 59 percent, in July 45 percent, in 

 August 39 percent, in September 17 percent, and in October 12 percent. 

 As to the kinds of insects eaten, beetles form an important part, and 

 probably the Grackles do a vast amount of good by destroying the mature 

 beetles and the larvae of the May-beetle or June bug (La chno sterna) , which, 

 under the name of "white-grub" is so well known to the farmer as an 

 enemy of grass lands and many cultivated crops. These insects belong 

 to the family Scaraboeidse, and members of this family formed one-fifth 

 of the insect food of the Grackle for May, and one-seventh of the food for 

 June. On the lawns of the Agricultural College it is no uncommon thing 

 in May and June to see fifteen or twenty female Grackles at a time busily 

 searching the turf for these large May-beetles and flying away with one 

 or two at a time to feed their young in the neighboring spruces. On 

 exceptional occasions we have counted as many as sixty of these birds 

 searching for May-beetles and apparently for nothing else. In our opinion 

 the good condition of the college lawns is due very largely to the protection 

 afforded them by these birds. Snout-beetles (weevils or curculios) are 

 also eaten regularly and in considerable numbers, indicating that the 

 Grackles have a special fondness for these insects which are small, hard- 

 shelled, and not particularly attractive to most birds. In one stomach 

 seventeen specimens of the corn-weevil (Sphenophorus) were found and 

 in other stomachs fourteen. Grasshoppers formed 19 percent of the food 

 in May and increased in amount regularly until August, when they formed 



