2^ NEBRASKA OKMTHOLOGISTS' UNION 



Mr. F. E. L. Beal, assistant in the Division of Ornitholog3- and Mam-i 

 malogy of the United States Department of Agriculture, in summing up 

 the results obtained from the examination of 679 stomachs of these 

 birds, writes as follows:* 



"In reviewing the results of these investigations and comparing one 

 species with another, without losing sight of the fact that comparative 

 good is not necessarily positive good, it appears that of seven species 

 considered the Downy Woodpecker is the most beneficial." He then 

 goes on to give the food habits based on contents of the stomachs of 

 our most common species. "Judged by the stomach examinations of 

 the Downy and Hairy Woodpecker and Flicker it would be hard ta 

 find three other species of our common birds with fewer harmful quali- 

 ties." 



The Flicker is one of our most common woodpeckers in Nebraska and 

 does much towards keeping down a number of different kinds of in- 

 sects. It is very fond of ants as a diet, in fact is partial to them, and 

 this element forms almost half of its entire food-supply during the 

 year. It also occasionally feeds upon the chinch-bug, as can be attested 

 by the fact that the stomach of a specimen killed near Lincoln con- 

 tained in the vicinity of 1,000 of these bugs. It is also a fruit-eater to 

 the extent of abowt one-quarter of its entire bill of fare, but nature, 

 not man, furnishes the supply. It takes the Avild kinds in preference to 

 those that are cultivated. 



The Whippoorwill, Night Hawk, and Swifts feed entirely on insects, 

 and must consequently be classed among the beneficial birds. They all 

 capture their prey while upon the wing, and naturally destroy large 

 numbers of troublesome kinds. 



The various species of Flycatchers, as the name implies, destroy in- 

 sects which they capture for the most part while on the wing. Flies 

 and allied insects are quite prominent on their bill of fare; but these 

 by no means are the only kinds of insects destroyed by them. Many 

 a luckless locust, butterfly, moth or even beetle is snapped up and de- 

 voured by the different species of the family. The Bee-bird, or Kingbird 

 as it is more frequently called, sometimes even catches bees. These 

 latter, however, consist largely of drones, hence comparativeh' little 

 harm is done. 



One should be unprejudiced in order to write a fair biography of 

 even a bird, or group of birds. To say that I am ^vithout such preju- 

 dice with reference to some of the members of the family of birds now 

 to be considered, would be a falsehood. Still, I shall endeavor to 

 give as unbiased testimony as possible with reference to their food- 

 habits at least, and let the reader judge for himself as to Avhat would 

 be the proper treatment for these birds. Taking the family as a whole 

 that which is made up of birds like the Crows, Eavens, Magpies, Jays, 

 Nut-crackers, "Camp -robbers," etc., though some of them have unenvi- 



■••■'See Bull. No. 7, Div. Ornith. & Mammalogy, p. 9. 



