1914] Bryant: Economic Status of the Western Meadowlark 491 



The western meadowlark is distributed throughout the state, 

 most abundantly in the great interior valleys, the grain-growing 

 districts. It appears to be increasing in numbers in localities 

 where cultivated crops are furnishing it better food and cover. 



The investigation has included field investigation of birds at 

 the field of action, experimentation on the amounts of food con- 

 sumed and the times of digestion, and stomach examinations of 

 the kinds and quantities of food actually consumed. 



Over twenty collections from different parts of the state, 

 made up of birds collected each month of the year in the same 

 general locality, have been available for stomach examination. 

 Nearly tw r o thousand stomachs of western meadowlarks have been 

 examined and the kind and quantity of the different elements of 

 food tabulated. 



Field investigation has shown that the western meadowlark 

 destroys sprouting grain by boring down beside the sprout and 

 eating the kernel. The amount of damage depends upon the 

 abundance of the birds, the depth to which the grain is planted, 

 the size of the field, the condition of the soil, the proximity to 

 pasture or uncultivated land, and the time of year. The amount 

 of damage possible is minimized by the short time (two weeks) 

 during which damage to the young plant can result. No other 

 crops are seriously damaged by western meadowlarks. Young 

 meadowlarks are fed exclusively on insect food, principally cut- 

 worms and grasshoppers. 



Experimentation on captive birds has shown that nestling 

 birds consume very nearly their own weight of food every day. 

 The time during which insects remain in the stomach is from 

 three to four hours. The time during which grain remains in 

 the stomach is from four to six hours. Hence the time of diges- 

 tion of grain is longer than that of insects. The amount of 

 insect food found in the stomach of a western meadowlark repre- 

 sents, therefore, but one-third of the daily requirement. 



Stomach examination has shown that sixty-three and three- 

 tenths per cent of the total volume of food of the western meadow- 

 lark for the year is made up of animal matter and thirty-six and 

 seven-tenths per cent of vegetable matter. The animal matter 

 is made up mostly of ground beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, cut- 



