24 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 



crustacean damages the levees (66). Lantz (67) recommends the protection 

 of herons as "persistent enemies of meadow mice," the stork and ibis also 

 doing good work along this line, and the great blue heron being especially 

 valuable in California in destroying gophers. Bryant (68) found 1 stomach 

 of the blue heron to contain 2 gophers, and 1 Anthony's green heron con- 

 tained 15% grasshoppers. Aughey (69) found 16 grasshoppers in a bittern, 

 and 11 in a great blue heron. Baynard (70) has just published some surpris- 

 ing figures, which I give below in tabular form, the food of the adults being 

 based upon examination of the stomachs, and that of the nestlings upon 

 food disgorged at nest just after they were fed by the parents. The snakes 

 taken were mostly young moccasins and the fishes were mostly young catfish 

 and suckers: 



PALUDICOLAE-Ctanes, Rails, Coots, Etc. 



Cranes are great enemies of field mice, and take more different species 

 of mice than herons do, as they inhabit both uplands and lowlands (71). A 

 young crane in captivity ate a quart of cicadas daily (72). Doubtless they 

 destroy innumerable grasshoppers. Four Nebraska stomachs contained 263 

 locusts, 202 other insects and some seeds (73). Cranes pass through Colo- 

 rado and Nebraska, but seldom nest here. The nesting bird generally called 

 crane is the great blue heron. 



Rails and coots feed to a considerable extent upon aquatic vegetation, 

 but are also quite insectivorous. Contrary to general opinion, they are very 

 good table birds. One sora rail contained 200 wild rice seeds (74) ; a black 

 rail contained 11 grasshoppers, 27 other insects and some seeds and other 

 vegetation; 7 king rails contained 234 locusts, 212 other insects and some 

 other seeds; 9 coots all contained insects 214 locusts, 269 other insects 

 and all contained fresh- water mollusks; while a Florida gallinule from Ne- 

 braska contained 7 grasshoppers, 29 other insects, with seeds and other vego- 



(66) Judd, U S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook for 1900, p. 435; U. 3. Biol. Surv., Hull. 

 No. 17, p. 81. 



(67) Lantz, U. S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook for 1909, p. 217; U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. 

 No. 31, pp. 52-53. 



(68) Bryant, Univ. Call. Pub. in Zool., Vol. XI, No. 1, p. 9. 



(69) Aughey, First Kept. U. S. Entom. Com., App. II, p. 55. 



(70) Baynard, Wilson Bulletin, Vol XXIV, pp. 167-169, 1912. 



(71) Lantz, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 31, p. 53. 



(72) Judd, U. S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook for 1900, p. 433. 



(73) Aughey, First Kept. U. S. Entom. Com., App. II, p. 56. 



(74) Judd, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 17, p. 81. 



