301 



A THOUSAND STOMACHS EXAMINED. 



■^'ithin the past fifteen years the writer has made, 

 during the different months of the year, examinations 

 of nearly one thousand stomachs of Crow Blackbirds, 

 taken in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Flor- 

 ida. 



In hiicf, i( cjiii be slalcd that these examinations 

 showed that in the fall when insect food was scarce 

 corn was largely eaten by these birds, but during pre- 

 vio.is periods of their residence in Pennsylvania differ- 

 ent forms of insect-life constitute by far the larger por- 

 tion of their diet. 



THEY ARE FOND OP LARVAE, 



Blackbirds are very partial to grub worms, cut- 

 worms and other larvae, Avhieh they find in newly- 

 plowed ground, com fields and pasture. As stated 

 elesewherc this species as well as the Bronzed Grackle, 

 a subspecies of the Crow Blackbird which is the com- 

 mon forni in the western part of Pennsylvania, was 

 found to feed with great eagerness on tJie destructive 

 Army Worm which was so numerous and very gener- 

 ally dispersed tliroughout this State in l.'>Or., when this 

 crawling and voracious pest destroyed grain and ntlier 

 crojjs to the amount of about .f.300,000 (estimated). 



THKY CATCH GRASSHOPPERS, 



Blackbirds love to catch and eat the frisky grass- 

 hoppers which often do so much damage to the farm- 

 er's crops; and they also devour numerous kinds of 

 ground beetles. They will eat the destructive plum 

 curculio, and likewise devour its larvae. 



WILL, EAT WHEAT, OATS AND CORN. 



They visit the oat and wheat stubble or the com field 



