12 



BULLETIN 280, U. 3. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



abundant anywhere, and consequently only a few stomachs have been 

 received for examination. In all they number but 111 and are very 

 irregularly distributed in time. None were taken in August and 

 only one in July and two in June. From so scanty and unevenly 

 distributed material it is impossible to draw final conclusions, but 

 we can get some idea as to the nature of the bird's food and its 

 economic importance. 



The first analysis of the food gives 74.86 per cent of animal matter 

 to 25.14 per cent of vegetable. This is the most animal food found 

 in the stomachs of any bird of the genus Hylocichla and the largest 

 but two of any of the thrushes. 



Animal food. — Beetles collectively amount to about one-third of 

 all the food (33.32 per cent). Of these, 2.83 per cent are the useful 

 Carabida?. The rest belong to harmful families, such as the Scara- 

 ba?idae, Elateridse, and the weevils, or snout beetles. Ants amount 

 to 16.34 per cent and are eaten very regularly — the most in the early 

 part of the season. Hymenoptera other than ants, as wasps and 

 bees, were eaten to the extent of 5.60 per cent, and with the ants make 

 21.94 per cent, placing this food next in rank to beetles. As in the 

 case of ants, most of the bees and wasps were eaten in the first three 

 months of the season. No honey bees were found. Lepidoptera 

 (caterpillars) were third in order of abundance (8.81 per cent). 

 No special pest was discovered, but all caterpillars may be considered 

 as harmful. A few grasshoppers were found in the stomachs taken 

 in April and May, and more in those collected in September and 

 October. They do not appear to be a favorite food and amount to 

 only 1.72 per cent. Other insects, as flies, bugs, and a few others, 

 collectively amount to 2.89 per cent. Among these, it is of inter- 

 est to note in one stomach the remains of the famous seventeen- 

 year locust (Tibicen se])temdecem) , rather large game for so smsill 

 a bird. Spiders are freely eaten by the gray-cheeked thrush in 

 spring, and sparingly in fall. For the season they constitute 5.77 

 per cent of the food. A few other animals, as crawfish, sowbugs, 

 and angleworms (0.41 per cent), complete the animal food. 



Following is a list of the insects identified and the number of 

 stomachs in which found: 



HYMENOPTEEA. 



Lophyrus, sp 



Aphwnof/aater ten/neaaeenee- . 



< OIjEOP I 'ERA. 



Cychrua andrewai 



Cychrua sp 



i> </8i ii ■■ vus hi&pidu8— 

 Hiater aededmati latua 



Phelister vemua 



Epurwa rufa 



Stelidota 8-maculata 



UyrrJl/UB mini mm ' 



I .'iirin (in ft iii iirin 



Wonocrepldius vespertinua. 



\ griotea Umoaus 



i 'in inn hi 1 1 v x ii/ ii ii l ii ■•! Uia 



I'liiiiihriiK flavicollia 



ii iriiiimiis bilineatua 



Onthophagua sp 



I in -n i ii.i atrlgatua 



i twniua iinii hIiix 



I luiiiiix sp 



