BREWER’S BLACKBIRD (Euphagus 
cyanocephalus) 
Length, 10 inches. Its glossy purplish head 
distinguishes it from other blackbirds that do 
not show in flight a trough-shaped tail. 
Range: Breeds in the West, east to Texas, 
Kansas, and Minnesota, and north to southern 
Canada; winters over most of the United 
States breeding range, south to Guatemala. 
Habits and economic status: Very numerous 
in the West and in fall gathers in immense 
flocks, especially about barnyards and corrals. 
During the cherry season in California Brew- 
er’s blackbird is much in the orchards. In one 
case they were seen to eat freely of cherries; 
but when a neighboring fruit raiser began to 
plow his orchard almost every blackbird in the 
vicinity was upon the newly opened ground 
and close at the plowman’s heels in its eager- 
ness to get the insects exposed by the plow. 
Caterpillars and pupe form the largest item of 
animal food (about 12 per cent). Many of 
these are cutworms, and cotton bollworms or 
corn earworms were found in 10 stomachs and 
codling-moth pupz in 11. Beetles constitute 
over II per cent of the food. The vegetable 
food is practically contained in three items— 
grain, fruit, and weed seeds. Grain, mostly 
oats, amounts to 54 per cent; fruit, largely 
cherries, 4 per cent, and weed seeds, not quite 
9 per cent. The grain is probably mostly wild, 
volunteer, or waste, so that the bird does most 
damage by eating fruit. 
CALIFORNIA JAY (Aphelocoma 
californica) 
Length, 12 inches. Distinguished from other 
jays within its range by its decidedly whitish 
underparts and brown patch on the back. 
Range: Resident in California, north to 
southern Washington, and south to southern 
Lower California. 
Habits and economic status: This jay has the 
same general traits of character as the eastern 
blue jay. He is the same noisy, rollicking fel- 
low and occupies a corresponding position in 
bird society. Robbing the nests of smaller 
birds is a favorite pastime, and he is a persist- 
ent spy upon domestic fowls and well knows 
the meaning of the cackle of a hen, Not only 
does he steal eggs, but he kills young chicks. 
The insect food of this jay constitutes about 
one-tenth of its annual sustenance. The inclu- 
sion of grasshoppers and caterpillars makes 
this part of the bird’s food in its favor. But 
the remainder of its animal diet includes alto- 
gether too large a proportion of beneficial 
birds and their eggs, and in this respect it ap- 
pears to be worse than its eastern relative, the 
blue jay. While its vegetable food is composed 
largely of mast, at times its liking for culti- 
vated fruit and grain makes it a most unwel- 
come visitor to the orchard and farm. In con- 
clusion, it may be said that over much of its 
range this jay is too abundant for the best in- 
terests of agriculture and horticulture. 
24 
BULLOCK’S ORIOLE (lIcterus bullocki) 
Length, about 8 inches. Our only oriole with 
top of head and throat black and cheeks 
orange. 
Range: Breeds from South Dakota, Ne- 
braska, and Kansas to the Pacific Ocean and 
from southern Canada to northern Mexico; 
winters in Mexico. 
Habits and economic status: In the West 
this bird takes the place occupied in the Fast 
by the Baltimore oriole. In food, nesting 
habits, and song the birds are similar. Both 
are migratory and remain on their summer 
range only some five or six months. They 
take kindly to orchards, gardens, and the vi- 
cinity of farm buildings and often live in vil- 
lages and city parks, Their diet is largely made 
up of insects that infest orchards and gardens. 
When fruit trees are in bloom they are con- 
stantly busy among the blossoms and save 
many of them from destruction. In the food 
of Bullock’s oriole beetles amount to 35 per 
cent and nearly all are harmful. Many of 
these are weevils, some of which live upon 
acorns and other nuts. Ants and wasps amount 
to 15 per cent of the diet. The black olive 
scale was found in 45 of the 162 stomachs ex- 
amined. Caterpillars, with a few moths and 
pupe, are the largest item of food and amount 
to over 41 per cent. Among these were cod- 
ling-moth larve. The vegetable food is prac- 
tically all fruit (19 per cent) and in cherry 
season consists largely of that fruit. Eating 
small fruits is the bird’s worst trait, but it will 
do this harm only when very numerous. 
BLUE JAY (Cyanocitta cristata) 
Length, 1144 inches. The brilliant blue of 
the wings and tail combined with the black 
crescent of the upper breast and the crested 
head distinguish this species. 
Range: Resident in the eastern United States 
and southern Canada, west to the Dakotas, 
Colorado, and Texas. 
Habits and economic status: The blue jay is 
of a dual nature. Cautious and silent in the 
vicinity of its nest, away from it it is bold and 
noisy. Sly in the commission of mischief, it is 
ever ready to scream “thief” at the slightest 
disturbance. As usual in such cases, its re- 
marks are applicable to none more than itself, 
a fact neighboring nest holders know to their 
sorrow, for during the breeding season the jay 
lays heavy toll upon the eggs and young of 
other birds, and in doing so deprives us of the 
services of species more beneficial than itself. 
Approximately three-fourths of the annual 
food of the blue jay is vegetable matter, the 
greater part of which is composed of mast— 
that is, acorns, chestnuts, beechnuts, and the 
like. Corn is the principal cultivated crop upon 
which this bird feeds, but stomach analysis in- 
dicates that most of the corn taken is waste 
grain. Such noxious insects as wood-boring 
beetles, grasshoppers, eggs of various caterpil- 
lars, and scale insects constitute about one- 
fifth of its food. 
