﻿Common Birds in Relation to Agricidture. 511 



THE SPARROVVS.i 



Sparrows are not obtrusive birds, either in plumage, 

 song or action. There are some forty species, with nearly 

 as many subspecies, in North America, but their differ- 

 ences, both in" plumage and habits, are in most cases 

 too obscure to be readily recognized, and not more than 

 half a dozen forms are generally known in any one 

 locality. All the species are more or less migratory, but 

 so widely are they distributed that there is probably 

 no part of the country where some can not be found 

 throughout the year. 



While sparrows are noted seed eaters, they do not 

 by any means confine themselves to a vegetable diet. 

 During the summer, and especially in the breeding season, 

 they eat many insects, and probably feed their young 

 largely upon the same food. An examination of the 

 stomachs of three species — the song sparrow (Mdospiza), 

 chipping sparrow (Spizella socialis), and field sparrow 

 (Spizella picsilla) — shows that about one-third of the food 

 consists of insects, comprising many injurious beetles, 

 such as snout-beetles or weevils, and leaf-beetles. Many 

 grasshoppers are eaten, and in the case of the chipping 

 sparrow these insects form one-eighth of the food. 

 Grasshoppers would seem to be rather large morsels, but 

 the bird probably confines itself to the smaller species ; 

 indeed, this is indicated by the fact that the greatest 

 amount (over 36 per cent.) is eaten in June, when the 

 larger species are still young and the small species 

 most numerous. Besides the insects already mentioned, 

 many wasps and bugs are taken. Predaceous and parasitic 

 Hymenoptera and predaceous beetles, all useful insects, 

 are eaten only to a slight extent, so that as a whole 

 the sparrows' insect diet may be considered beneficial. 



1 The sparrows here mentioned are all native species. For a full account of 

 the English sparrow, including its introduction, habits, and depredations, see Bull. 

 No. 1 of the Division of Ornithology, published in 18S9. 



