FOOD HABITS OF THRUSHES. 



11 



Besides fruit, the veery eats a few seeds of grasses and weeds and 

 a few of sumac, but none of the poisonous species were found in the 

 stomachs. These seeds (7.25 per cent of the food) were eaten so 

 irregularly as to suggest that they are merely a makeshift taken for 

 want of something better. Rubbish (0.18 per cent), consisting of 

 decayed wood, bits of leaves, plant stems, etc., completes the vege- 

 table food. 



Following is a list of the items of vegetable food and the num- 

 ber of stomachs in which found: 



Yew berries (Taxus minor). 



Pigeon grass seed (Chwtochloa sp.) — 

 Rush grass seed (Sporobolus minor) — 



False Solomon's seal (Smilacina sp.) 



Greenbrier berries (Smilax sp.) 



Hackberries (Celtis occidentalis) 



Poke berries (Phytolacca decandra) 



Spice berries (Benzoin wstivale) 



Service berries (Amelanchier canaden- 

 sis) 



June berries (Amelanchier sp.) 



Mountain ash (Pyrus americana) 



Crab apples (Pyrus sp.) 



Strawberries (Fragaria sp.) 



Blackberries or raspberries (Rubus sp.)_ 

 Wild black cherries (Prunus serotina) _ 

 Bird cherries (Prunus pennsylvanica) _ 



Chokecherries (Prunus Virginian a) 



Staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta) 



Dwarf sumac (Rhus copallina) 



Three-leaved sumac (Rhus trilobata)- 



Other sumac (Rhus sp.) 



American holly (Ilex opaca) 



Woodbine berries (Psedera quinque- 



folia) 



White cornel (Cornus candidissima) 



Alternate-leaved cornel (Cornus alter- 



nifolia) 



Rough-leaved cornel (Cornus asperi- 



folia) 



Dogwood berries (Cornus sp.) 



Sour gum berries (Xyssa sylvatica) 



Huckleberries (Oaylussacia sp.) 



Blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) 



Snowberries (Symphoricarpos racemo- 



sus) 



Black elderberries (Sambucus canaden- 

 sis) 



Red elderberries (Sambucus pubens) 



Other elderberries (Sambucus sp.) 



Fruit pulp not further identified 



Summary. — It is hardly necessary to make a summary of the 

 food of this bird in order to bring out its good points, for it seems 

 to have no others. The animal food includes less than 1 per cent of 

 useful beetles, and the remainder is either harmful or neutral. 

 In the matter of vegetable food there seems to be no chance for 

 criticism, as nature evidently supplies all it needs. The bird has 

 never been harmed, but has been held in high esteem for sentimental 

 reasons ; let it also be valued and protected for its economic worth. 



GRAY-CHEEKED AND BICKNELL'S THRUSHES. 



(Hylocichla alicice alicice and Hylocichla alicice oicknelli.) 



The gray-cheeked thrush (H. a. alicice) is found in migration 

 over all the Eastern States, but breeds farther north, beyond our 

 limits. Bicknell's thrush (H. a. bicknelli), a closely related form, 

 while having somewhat the same general range, breeds farther south 

 and nests in the mountains of northern New York and New Eng- 

 land. Both subspecies have the same general habits as other forms 

 of the genus so far as haunts and choice of residence are concerned, 

 but their far-northern range excludes them from coming into con- 

 tact with cultivated erops. The species does not seem to be very 



