194 BowDisH, Food Habits of We^t Indian Birds. \ ^"^ 



about half its bill of fare of fruit and seeds. The Gray Kingbird, 

 Tyraunus dominkensis, sometimes gleans more than half of its 

 living from vegetable substances; Pitaiigus taylori feeds about as 

 largely on fruit, etc. ; Myiarchus antillarum and B-lacicus blancoi 

 also feed quite largely on such matter. These species constitute 

 the list of native flycatchers. 



In Cuba three Woodpeckers — Xip/iidioJ^/a/s percuss iis, Melan- 

 erpes superciliaris, and Colaptes chrysocaiilosus — according to the 

 stomachs that I have examined, subsist on a diet not more than 

 one third of which is insectivorous. 



Two native Vireos of Porto Rico, V. talidris and V. latimeri, 

 feed to some extent on vegetable matter, and at times half or 

 more of the food of the former is vegetable. 



Finally, Warblers coming to Cuba and Porto Rico from the 

 States for the winter were found to eat more or less weed seed 

 and in some cases to feed very largely on it. 



In these islands, teeming with insect life, it seems a little 

 remarkable, even considering the temptation afforded by abun- 

 dance of fruit, that birds habitually considered insectivorous 

 should feed on vegetable matter to the extent of almost completely 

 changing their normal food habits, and I have no explanation to 

 account for it. 



Following is the result of examinations of a few stomachs : 



Melanerpes portoricensis. $ and $, July 2, seeds and buds with a 

 small percentage of insect matter; 5, Dec. 13, seeds and remains of 

 worms ; $, Dec. 28, seeds; ?, April 8, insects; $, April 22, seeds and 

 remains of spiders ; $, two seeds and small insects; (J, Aug. 3, insects; 

 4 specimens (3 $ and i ?), May 26, one beetles, others seeds and remains 

 of fruit ; $ , May 30, beetles and other insects ; $ , June 27, dragonfly ; $ , 

 Sept. 6, insects and seeds. 



Tyrannus dominicensis. $ and $, July 2, small shells and coleoptera; 

 $ , Oct. 4, insects, chiefly coleoptera ; $ , Jan. 18, a few small berries from 

 trees; $, Jan. 20, one large berry-seed and remains of insects; $,Jan. 

 24, berries and insects; $ and $, Jan. 26, seeds and insects; 5, Jan. 27, 

 seeds and insects; (^, Jan. 28, insects and seeds; $, Jan. 29, insects. 



Myiarchus antillarum. $ , July 21, seeds and coleoptera ; $,Jan. 18, 

 wasps ; sex .^ July i, beetles and seeds of small fruit , $ , July 11, worm ; 

 $ , March i, fruit and beetles \ $ ., June 26, seeds of small fruit and one 

 beetle ; $ ^ July 18, seeds of berries ; ? , a few seeds and large quantity of 

 coleoptera; ?, Sept. 5, seeds of a small yellow fruit and one beetle; $, 



