FOOD HABITS OF THRUSHES. 



13 



Aphodius ruricola 1 



Aphodius inquinatus 3 



Aphodius sp 1 



Serica sp 1 



Lachnosterna sp 10 



1 



1 



1 



4 



1 



1 



1 



1 



Anomala sp 



Leptura sphwricollis 



Leptura mutabilis 



Chrysomela pulchra 



Blapstinus metallicus __ 



Helops micans 



Hormorus undulatus 



Otiorhynchus ovatus 



Cercopeus chrysorrhoeus 

 Pandeletejus hilaris 



Hitones sp 



Hylobius pales 



Desmoris constricius 



Bayous sellatus 



Anthonomus sycophanta 



Conotrachelus posticatus 



Acalles clavatus 



Acalles sp 



Cryptorhynchus ferratus 



Rphenophorus melanocephalus 



HE5IIPTERA. 



Tibicen septendecem * 



Nezara hilaris 



Vegetable food. — A few Rubus seeds were recorded as cultivated 

 fruit, but they were found in onl}' two stomachs and probably were 

 wild, as the gray-cheeked thrush does not live where it is likely to 

 come in contact with cultivated blackberries or raspberries. In 

 any case they amount to only 0.15 per cent. Wild fruits of 18 dif- 

 ferent species (23.98 per cent) make up nearly one-fourth of the 

 whole food — in fact, the vegetable food, other than wild fruit, is 

 insignificant. Wild berries supplement the regular food, which con- 

 sists of insects and spiders. 



The following list shows the fruits and seeds identified and the 

 number of stomachs in which found : 



False spikenard (Smilaeina racemosa)- 



Greenbrier berries (Smilax sp.) 



Bayberries (Myriea carolinensis) 



Poke berries (Phytolacca decandra) 



Crab apples (Pyrus sp.) ■ 



Wild black cherries (Prunus serotina) _ 

 Blackberries or raspberries (Rubus sp.)_ 



Sumac berries {Rhus sp.) 



Black-alder berries (Ilex verticillata) _ 



Wild grapes (Vitis sp.) 



Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia sp.) 



Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) 5 



Rough-leaved dogwood (Cornus asperi- 



foUa) 2 



White cornel (Cornus candidissima) 1 



Dogwood (Cornus sp.) 1 



Sour gum (Nyssa sylvatica) 2 



Black nightshade (Xolanum nigrum) ] 



Dockmackie (Viburnum acerifolium) 1 



Arrowwood (Viburnum sp.) 1 



Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) 3 



Fruit not further identified 6 



/Summary. — In the food of the gray-cheeked thrush the only 

 useful element is a small percentage (2.83) of useful beetles. The 

 remainder of the animal food is composed of either harmful or 

 neutral elements. The vegetable food, drawn entirely from nature's 

 great storehouse, contairfs no product of human industry, either of 

 grain or fruit. Whatever the sentimental reasons for protecting 

 this bird, the economic ones are equally valid. 



OLIVE-BACKED AND RUSSET-BACKED THRUSHES. 



(Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni and Hylocichla ustulata iistulata.) 



The olive-backed thrush and its relative, the russet-backed, occupy 

 the whole of the United States at some time during the year. The 

 olive-back breeds north of our northern border, except in the higher 

 mountains, and the russet-back on the Pacific coast nests as far 



