191-tJ Bryant: Economic Status of the Wcsfcrn Meaclowlark 449 



beneath the soil and so made unavailable. This helps to explain 

 why liirds feed so largely on grain during the winter months. 

 Grain is far more available in cultivated districts at thi.s time 

 than weed seed. 



In some localities even a daily cycle may be noted. Certain 

 insects appear in larger numbers after the sun has warmed up 

 the soil. Certain insects, such as cutworms, are found in greater 

 abundance before sunrise. Thus we might naturally expect that 

 birds collected early in the morning would have taken a larger 

 percentage of cutworms than birds collected later in the day. 

 Stomach examination has substantiated this as a fact. 



The kinds of crops raised in any particular locality must 

 also influence the kinds of food taken, for it changes their avail- 

 abilit}-. For instance, the stomachs of several meadowlarks con- 

 tained Egyptian corn and milo maize. Where this crop is raised 

 to any extent the meadowlark doubtless occasionally turns its 

 attention to this type of grain. In other localities where only 

 oats and barle\- are grown these grains are the only ones available. 



VI. Percext.\ges of Food of Meadowlarks Taken in Alfalfa Fields in the 



Vicinity of Hanfobd, California 



