THE PRACTICAL VALUE OF BIRDS. 33 



The kingbird is often called the "bee martin," and reputed an enemy of 

 the honey bee, but of 665 stomachs only 22 contained honey bees 51 drones, 

 3 workers and 2 doubtful, a total of 61, and the destruction of a few drones 

 is not harmful. On the other hand, 19 of the stomachs contained robber 

 flies, which are great enemies of the bees (118). Over 100 Arkansas flycatch- 

 ers and phcebes shot about apiaries, all contained drone houey bees, but only 

 1 worker was found (119). 



Alaudidae. The horned larks, or shore larks, are our only representatives 

 of this family. Meadowlarks belong to a different family. The winter food 

 of horned larks is almost entirely weed seeds and waste grain from the 

 fields, while the nestlings are fed chiefly on insects. Of 1,154 stomachs, 

 1,070 contained weed seeds and 206 contained nothing else, grain (chiefly 

 waste) forming 40.2% in California and 12.2% elsewhere; grass and sedge 

 seeds 26.21% ; weed seeds (except in California) 63%, but only 50% in 259 

 California stomachs ; insects about 20 % . One stomach contained 42 locusts 

 and 33 seeds (120). 



Corvidae. The crows, ravens, and jays may be placed in the doubtful 

 list in some localities, though the harm they do to nesting birds and crops is 

 nearly everywhere to a great extent offset, or more than offset, by their 

 usefulness in destroying insects, mice and other pests. Crows and ravens are 

 "among the most formidable bird enemies of field mice," taking the mice at 

 every opportunity, while jays and magpies also destroy some (121). 



The crow's food for the year, as shown by 909 stomachs, consists of rab- 

 bits 5%, mice 1.1%, carrion 3%, wild birds and their eggs 6%, poultry and 

 eggs 4%, snakes 2%, amphibians 1.2%, fish 4%, crustaceans 9%, mollusks 

 3%, insects 23.5% (insects 1% in February and 67% in May), corn 

 25%, doubtless largely waste (122). 



Jays, nutcrackers, crows and ravens examined by Aughey contained 

 locusts (123). Reports of the blue jay's nest-robbing proclivities are con- 

 flicting. In 292 stomachs insects formed 23% of the food for the year (66% 

 in August), corn 17.9%, nuts and large seeds 42%, and only 3 contained 

 eggs of wild birds, 11 containing shells of domestic eggs (124). California 

 and Steller's jays have very much the same general food habits as the blue 

 jay, but the former does some damage to fruit (125). The long-crested jay 

 of the Rockies has not been so much investigated, but its food habits are 

 probably at least as favorable as those of any jay. Nestling crows, and 



(118) Beal, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 44, pp. 11-15. See also Farmers' Bull. 

 No. 54, p. 12. 



(119) Beal, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. 34, p. 33, citing Bryant, Zoe, Vol. IV, pp. 57-58. 



(120) McAtee, The Horned Larks in Their Relation to Agriculture, U. S. Biol. 

 Surv., Bull. No. 23. pp. 12-23, 30-32. Beal, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No.' 34, pp. 44-47. 

 Beal and McAtee, Farmers' Bull. No 506, pp 23-25. Judd, U S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 

 17, p. 93. Barrows, The Food of Horned Larks or Shore Larks, U. S. Dept. Agric., 

 Re>pt. for 1892, pp. 193-197. Aughey, First Kept. U. S. Entom. Com., App. II, pp. 

 18-19. 



(121) Lantz, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 31, p. 50. Judd, Ibid., Bull. No. 17, pp. 

 53-54. 



(122) Barrows and Swartz, The Common Crow of the United States, U. S. Dept. 

 Agric., Div. Orn. & Mam., Bull. No. 6, pp. 3, 31. Barrows, The Food of Crows, U. S. 

 Dept. Agric., Kept, for 1888, pp. 498-535. 



(123) Aughey, First Kept. U. S. Entom. Com., App. II, pp. 35-36. 



(124) Beal, The Blue Jay and its Food, U. S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook for 1896, pp. 

 197-206. Judd, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull. No. 17, pp. 93-94. 



(125) Beal, U. S. Biol. Surv., Bull No. 34, pp. 47-56. 



