122 BULLETIN 326, U. S. ■ DEPABTM^KTT OP AGRICULTTJKE. 



useless to follow them, as they take alarm instantly. V/here food is abundant 

 they are found in flocks in sheltered spots out of the wind. The flight is strong 

 and undulating, the birds sweeping along in graceful curves, alighting for a 

 minute or two, and then passing on, so that in feeding they cover considerable 

 ground. The call note is a faint tseet, while the males have a low chattering 

 note. This species has apparently no song. The breeding season extends from 

 the end of January to the middle of June, and occasional pairs breed during the 

 rest of ^he year. The young are very common during June and July. 



The food of the spindalis is almost entirely vegetable, and the bird is, without 

 doubt, the greatest disseminator of seeds in the island. Roving in habit, it 

 covers considerable territory, appearing wherever there is food to satisfy its 

 voracious appetite and then passing on. That it does not always confine its 

 attacks to fruit and seeds appears from the fact that, on at least two occasions, 

 it was seen stripping climbing vines (Ipomea sp.) of their tender green leaves 

 and eating them. At Rio Piedras the 1st of January two came into a guana- 

 bano tree (Anona muricata), and in less than half an hour had almost entirely 

 consumed two of the fruits, though the skin was rough and prickly and they 

 were 10 inches long and 5 in diameter. On January 24, near Cayey, a male was 

 seen in the act of opening a ripe wild orange (china) and eating the pulp and 

 juice. On half a dozen wild trees near here 30 oranges had been attacked in 

 the same way. The bird occurs in cultivated groves, but was not seen to do 

 any damage. Its work is unmistakable, as it tears a large opening in the fruit 

 from which to extract the pulp, choosing only the ripest fruit. 



These birds are frequently infested with a species of parasitic grub, which, 

 however, in most cases does not appear to affect their vitality seriously. The 

 parasites are found usually on the breast just under the skin, though sometimes 

 they occur on the abdomen and underside of the wings. One bird had about 30 

 of the grubs, but this was exceptional, 2 or 3 being the usual number. The birds 

 were observed in the field eating the following fruits and berries, besides those 

 that have been mentioned: Pomarosa (Jambosa jambos), camacey (Miconia 

 racemosa), palo de perico (Cordia corymbosa), palo moro (Psychotria 

 brachiata), a wild fig (Ficus Icevigata), and a parcha (Passiflora sex flora). 



Food. — Animal matter occurred in only 2 of the 96 stomachs of the spindalis 

 examined and in each case consisted of fragments of a coffee leaf -weevil (Lach- 

 nopus sp.). The other stomachs were filled entirely with seeds and bits of the 

 skin of the various wild fruits and berries in season at the time the birds were 

 collected. No sand or gravel was found, and evidently the seeds pass through 

 the large alimentary canal after the soft matter has been removed, or if the 

 seeds are soft they are completely digested. None of the fruits or berries 

 enumerated below has any economic value nor is the dissemination of their seeds 

 of any importance. These birds are the great seed-distributing agencies of the 

 island and to them are largely due the growths Of shrubs which cover waste 

 lands, especially in the interior. 



Where these birds are found doing serious damage they may properly be de- 

 stroyed, but damage by them is believed to be rare. Cultivated oranges for the 

 market are picked and shipped before they are ripe enough to be attacked, so 

 that the depredations of the spindalis are confined entirely to wild fruit. Very 

 little is destroyed, considering the large quantities of chinas growing in a wild 

 state. No trace of coffee berries was found in any of the stomachs. This 

 species may be regarded as harmless and of no economic importance. Its 

 beauty should insure its protection unless it is actually found destroying valu- 

 able fruit. 



