12 



IDENTIFICATION OF STOMACH CONTENTS. 



The different insects, seeds, etc., found in a bird's stomach are often 

 30 finely comminuted that they are difficult to identify. Much of the 

 material, however, it has been possible to determine as far as the family, 

 and in many instances to the genus and species. The food contained 

 in a bird's stomach can usually easily be separated into two classes 

 animal food and vegetable food. The animal food consists largely of 

 insects, and the vegetable food of grain and weed seeds (Fig. 4). 

 Reference collections of insects and weed seeds have afforded material 

 for comparison. Identification by government experts has often been 

 resorted to. 



SOME FACTS BROUGHT OUT BY THE STOMACH EXAMINATION. 



Among the insects found in the stomachs of western meadowlarks, the 

 following are the most common : 



Orthoptera. 



Cricket Gryllus pennsylvanicus. 



Jerusalem cricket Stenopelmatus californicus. 



Grasshopper Dissosteira spurcata. 



Valley grasshopper Oedaleonotus enigma. 



Differential grasshopper Mclanoplus differentialis 



Grasshopper Shistocerca sp. 



Hemiptcra. 



Squash-bug Anasa sp. 



Stink-bug Podisus sp. 



Stink-bug Pentatoma sp. 



Leaf hopper Stictocepkala franciscana. 



Negro-bug '. Corimelcena anthracina. 



Diptera. 



Cicada Platypcdia sp. 



Flower-fly Eristelis tenax. 



Flower-fly Syrphus. 



Ground-beetle Pterosticus sp. 



Ground-beetle Anisodactylus dilatus. 



Pinicate bug Eleodes sp. 



Carrion-beetle Bilpha sp. 



Rove-beetle Staphylinus sp. 



Click-beetle Drasterius sp. 



Limonius californicus. 



Limonius canis. 

 Devil-beetle Phloedes diabolicus. 



Platynus ovipennis. 



Coniontis subpubescens. 



Calathus ruficolus. 



Blapstinus sp. 



California flower-beetle Diabrotica soror. 



Lieaf-beetle Disonycha sp. 



Cardiophorus tenebrosus. 



Saprinus fimbriatus, 

 Grain weevil . Sphenophorus sp. 



Hymenoptera. 



Cuckoo-fly Chrysis sp. 



Bumblebee Bombus californicus. 



Carpenter ant . Camponotus sp. 



Harvester ant Messor andrei. 



California agricultural ant Pogonomyrne californicus. 



Wasp Vespa sp. 



Cow-killer Spliwrophthalma californica. 



