142 



BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



general, the birds of this species seeking the potato-field more 

 and more each season. I observed one small field near my 

 house that was much infested with the beetles, but the birds 

 found it, and in a few weeks I searched the field and could 

 not discover a single beetle young or old." Of eight stomachs 



THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 

 (After Biological Survey.) 



of this species examined by King, six contained small seeds, 

 two seven beetles, and one berries, while specimens ex- 

 amined by Forbes had eaten canker-worms, army-worms, and 

 other caterpillars, wood-boring, leaf-chafing, and snout-beetles, 

 as well as Hymenoptera and weed seeds. Two Nebraska 

 specimens examined by Aughey had about a dozen locusts in 

 each stomach. 



As a result of the examination of some four thousand 

 stomachs of sparrows of many sorts, collected all over the 

 United States, Dr. S. D. Judd concludes that " during the 

 colder half of the year the food of these birds consists almost 

 entirely of the seeds of weeds." And he records this intensive 

 study of the effect of their work : " On a farm in Maryland, 

 just outside the District of Columbia, tree-sparrows, fox- 



