22 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 17 
The esthetic worth of the roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) 
is great and should not be altogether overshadowed by other con- 
siderations. Every early settler in California was quickly informed 
of the paisano (‘‘the countryman’’), a bird which could run faster 
than a horse, just as surely as he was informed of the ‘‘sacred toad’’ 
(horned toad), which wept tears of blood. The vaquero whose horse 
was fast enough to overtake a roadrunner so that it could be lassoed 
boasted of the fact for weeks. In fact, the roadrunner adds interest 
and charm to every region where it is found. Recognition is, there- 
fore, given to this and to other inherent values even though they be 
not emphasized in this paper. 
Because the roadrunner is conspicuous in size and action gunners 
have used it as a mark. The added incentive to kill this bird because 
of its alleged habit of destroying the eggs and young of the valley 
quail, a favorite game bird, has been instrumental in practically ex- 
terminating it in many localities in this state. Whether or not the 
food habits of the roadrunner have justified this treatment has not 
heretofore been adequately considered. The protection afforded the 
bird in California has thus far rested wholly upon the few general 
statements regarding its food habits and upon the recognition of 
its esthetic value. The present investigation has been carried on 
with the aim of providing a sounder basis either for its protection 
as a valuable species or for its destruction as an injurious species. 
MATERIAL 
Kighty-four stomachs of roadrunners collected in southern Cali- 
fornia, most of them in San Diego County, have been available for 
examination. This material was obtained in 1911 and 1912, when 
the California Fish and Game Commission was gathering information 
as to the food habits of the western meadowlark. This paper is, 
therefore, an additional report on the investigation then begun by 
the Commission. The material embraced birds taken in every month 
of the year with the exception of March. General complaint has been 
made against the roadrunner that it is destructive of the eggs and 
young of valley quail. Positive evidence on this point was sought 
by collecting the largest number of birds during the nesting season 
of quail. The deputies of the Fish and Game Commission who col- 
lected the birds were instructed to take them in localities where quail 
were nesting and where positive evidence as to their bird-eating habits 
