34 



FOOD OF SOME WELL-KNOWN BIEDS. 



RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. 



{Rcffiilus cdJciidula.) 



The ruby-crowned kinglet (fig. 16) is known on the Pacific coast 

 most commonly as a winter visitant, thougli it breeds in summer on 

 the high mountains. In tlie eastern United States it is usually seen 



chiefly in migra- 

 tion as it passes 

 beyond our north- 

 ern border to 

 breed; but it also 

 winters in the 

 Southern States. 

 For the investi- 

 gation of the food 

 of this kinglet 294 

 stomachs were 

 available. The 

 food consists of 94 

 per cent of animal 

 matter to .6 per 

 cent of vegetable. 

 The animal food 

 consists of insects, 

 spiders, and pseu- 

 doscorpions ; the 

 vegetable, of fruit 

 and weed seeds. 



Animal food. — 

 Hymenoptera in 

 the shape of wasps 

 and ants appear 

 to be the favorite 

 animal food and 

 aggregate 32.42 

 per cent of the 

 whole. Hemip- 

 tera (bugs) are 

 next in impor- 

 tance, and consti- 

 tute 25.72 per cent of the diet. They include assassin bugs, lace 

 bugs, leaf bugs, leaf hoppers, jumping plant lice, plant lice, mealy 

 bugs, and scale insects. All except the first of these are harmful and 

 some of them are pests when abundant, and being of small size are 

 not easily dealt with by human devices. 



.506 



Ruby-crownea kinglft. 



