44 



BULLETIN 868, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tained 114 stones of cultivated cherries when cleaned on July 11. 

 The economic significance of the starling's taste for cherries is fully 

 discussed under the food of the adults, on pages 26 to 28. 



The remaining vegetable food, less than 2 per cent, is composed 

 largely of rubbish. Mere traces of corn, oats, and wheat were present 

 in a few stomachs. 



FOOD PREFERENCES AT DIFFERENT AGES. 



In order to reveal the changes that take place in the food prefer- 

 ences of the nestling starling from the time it receives its first meal 

 to the time it is ready to leave the nest and shift for itself, the nest- 

 lings' stomachs were arranged in three groups, representing as nearly 

 as possible the first, second, and third periods of nestling life. These 

 groups include, approximately, (1) birds from 1 to 5 days old; (2) 

 those 6 to 10 days old; and (3) all above 10 days of age. Each group 

 was well represented, there being 79, 94, and 122 stomachs, respec- 

 tively. Fourteen additional nestling stomachs on hand could not be 

 used, as definite data concerning their age was lacking. The infor- 

 mation derived from the regrouping of this material is presented in 

 condensed form in Table III and graphically represented in figure 3. 



Table III. — Monthly percentages of various hinds of food eaten by nestling starlings, 

 showing the changing character at different ages {see fig. 3). 



Age of nestlings. 



Ground 

 beetles. 



May 



beetles, 



etc. 



Wee- 

 vils. 



Grass- 

 hoppers 

 and 

 crick- 

 ets. 



Cater- 

 pillars. 



Milli- 

 peds. 



Spiders. 



Miscel- 

 laneous 

 animal 

 matter. 



Cher- 

 ries. 



Miscel- 

 laneous 

 vege- 

 table 

 matter. 





2.43 



11.59 



7.69 



3.91 



18.33 

 18.25 



5.59 

 4.49 

 1.02 



13.96 

 11.23 

 8.98 



45.26 

 34.88 

 37.81 



1.48 

 5.34 

 6.38 



23.44 

 3.57 

 3.28 



2.98 

 5.93 

 7.61 



0.18 

 3.36 

 4.76 



0.77 



6 to 10 days 



1.28 



10 or more days 



4.22 



It will be noticed that as the bird grows older there is a decrease 

 in its consumption of soft and easily digested foods. The bulk of 

 spiders eaten, for instance, is confined to the first few days of the 

 bird's life. In the case of caterpillars the decrease is not uniform, 

 although it is apparent that the very voung birds are fed more than 

 those a little older. There is also a gradual lessening in the quantity 

 of crickets and grasshoppers taken. Under the heading " weevils" 

 a similar decrease is recorded, but instead of the hard-shelled adults 

 being so popular with young starlings, it is the larvae of the clover 

 leaf weevil which forms the bulk of the food. In the case of ground 

 beetles and May beetles, as well as with millipeds, the younger nest- 

 lings are given smaller quantities. The same is true for the principal 

 vegetable item, cultivated cherries. Only two of the 79 starlings 

 less than 6 days old had been fed such fruit. 



