FOOD HABITS OF SOME WINTER BIRD VISITANTS. 



21 



flies, were the most important animal food, 16 of the 43 birds having 

 eaten them to the extent of 25.45 per cent of the food. Fragments 

 of spiders furnished the remaining 0.02 per cent of the animal 

 matter taken. 



Grass seed formed 28.63 per cent; sedges, 7.02; seeds of smart- 

 weed {Polygonum), 0.23 per cent; goosefoot (OJtenopodmm) , 0.93 

 per cent; ragweed (Ambrosia), 4.42 per cent; grain, 1.16 per cent; 

 and a considerable variety of other seeds 28.35 per cent of the 

 summer food. 



Conclusions. — It would seem that very little can be said either for 

 or against the snow bunting. During the season when the bird is 

 in settled areas its animal food is of little consequence, and the eat- 

 ing of weed seeds is of no particular economic importance. How- 

 ever, the bird does no harm and may well continue to receive the 

 protection now accorded it. 



Food items of the snow bunting, identified to the genus or species, as determined 

 by the examination of 461 stomachs. 



[The figures indicate the number of stomachs in which the items were found.] 



Vegetable Food. 



Najadaceae. 



Najas flexilis (bushy pond- 

 weed) 1 



Najas sp. (pondweed) 9 



Poaceae. 



Syntherisma $ anguin alis 

 (crabgrass) . 



Syntherisma ischaemum 

 (crabgrass) 



Paspalum, setaceum (hair- 

 grass) 



Paspalum sp. (hairgrass) 



Echinochloa crusgalU (wild 

 millet) i 3 



Panicum capillar e (witch- 

 grass) , 5 



Panicum virgatum ( switch- 

 grass) 3 



Chaetochloa lutescens (yel- 

 low foxtail) 58 



Chaetochloa viridis (green 

 foxtail) 117 



Phleum pratense (timothy) 8 



Sporobolus vaginae florus 

 (dropseed) 5 



Sporobolus neglectus (drop- 

 seed) 10 



Ammophila arenaria (beach- 

 grass) 7 



Avena sativa (oats) 21 



Triplasis purpurea (sand- 

 grass) 33 



Festuca. rubra (red fescue) 1 



Festuca elatior (meadow 

 fescue) 3 



Agropyron repens (quack- 

 grass ) 5 



Hordeum sp. (barley) 14 



Triticum aestivum (wheat)— 90 



Poaceae — Continued 



Elymus sp. (wild rye) 9 



Zea mays (corn) 4 



Cyperaceae. 



Scirpus sp. (bulrush) 21 



Carex sp. (sedge) 74 



Juncaceae. 



Juncus sp. (rush) 4 



Myricaceae. 



Myrica carolinensis (north- 

 ern bayberry) 1 



Polygonaceae. 



Rumex sp. (dock) l 



Polygonum lapathifolium 



(smartweed) 63 



Polygonum pennsylvanicum 



(smartweed) 2 



Polygonum convolvulus (bind- 

 weed) 13 



Chenopodiaceae. 



Chenopodium album (lambs- 

 quarters) 74 



Salsola kali (saltwort) 1 



Amaranthaceae. 



Amaranthus sp. (pigweed) __ 87 

 Silenaceae. 



Arenaria peploides ( sand- 

 wort) 3 



Silene acaulis (moss cam- 

 pion) 1 



Silene latifolia (bladder cam- 

 pion) 1 



Portulacaceae. 



Montia fontana ( water- 



chickweed) l 



Portulaca sp. (purslane) 3 



Ranunculaceae. 



Ranunculus sp. (buttercup) 11 



