BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK 65 



from the feet, nor was there any resting or pounding of the prey 

 against the twig." Marshall also mentions a bird joining with various 

 other species in an attack on a flight of large termites. This bird 

 attempted its captures by comparatively clumsy leaps and short 

 flights from the top foliage of oaks. 

 Economic status. — Beal (1910) writes in his summary: 



In summing up the economic status of the black-headed grosbeak, the fact 

 that it eats a considerable quantity of orchard fruit can not be ignored. * * * To 

 offset its fruit eating, it eats habitually and freely the black olive scale, the codling 

 moth, and the 12-spotted diabrotica, three pests of Cahfornia fruit culture. * * * 

 Should it ever become so plentiful as to cause serious loss, no attempts should be 

 made to destroy the bird, but attention should be directed to devices for protecting 

 the fruit, thus leaving the bird to continue its good work in the destruction of 

 insects. So active an enemy of insect pests as is the grosbeak can not well be 

 spared, especially in view of the possibility of an invasion of the State by the 

 Colorado potato beetle. 



W. L. McAfee (1908) gives a very full account of the food of this 

 grosbeak, and remarks that "for every quart of fruit eaten, more than 

 3 pints of black olive scales and more than a quart of flower beetles, 

 besides a generous sprinlding of codling moth pupae and cankerworms 

 fall prey to this grosbeak." 



Behavior. — That the black-headed grosbeak is a close sitter on its 

 nest, devoted to its charges, is shown by Rathbun's experience with 

 it as mentioned above. It is not shy around houses and in orchards 

 and seems to have no fear of human beings. It comes readily to 

 feeding stations, where it is very tame and where it dominates other 

 birds and sometimes quarrels with others of its own species. Its 

 beneficial feeding habits, in spite of its few faults, and its delightful 

 song make this handsome bird a desirable companion about the house 

 and garden, where it should be encom-aged. 



Voice. — Its song closely resembles the rich song of its eastern 

 relative, the rose-breasted grosbeak; to a lesser extent the song 

 resembles that of the robin and is reminiscent of that of the western 

 tanager, but it is richer and more varied than either. GrinneU and 

 Storer (1924) write: "The black-headed grosbeak possesses a rich 

 voluble song that forces itself upon the attention of everyone in the 

 neighborhood. In fact at the height of the song season this is the 

 noisiest of all the birds. The song resembles in some respects that of 

 a robin, and novices sometimes confuse the two. The grosbeak's 

 song is much fuller and more varied, contains many little triUs, and is 

 given in more rapid time. Now and then it bursts forth fortissimo 

 and after several rounds of burbling, winds up with a number of 

 'squeals,' the last one attenuated and dying out slowly." 



S. F. Rathbun (MS.) describes the song as "a succession of rich 

 and clear whistling notes given rapidly, now and then having trills 



