26 
grain. The total grain consumed during the year constitutes 45 per 
cent of the whole food, but it is safe to say that at least half is waste 
grain, and consequently of no value. Although the crow blackbird 
eats a few cherries and blackberries in their season, and some wild 
fruit in the fall, it apparently does no damage in this way. 
Large flocks of crow blackbirds no doubt do considerable injury to 
grain crops, and there seems to be no remedy except the destruction 
of the birds, which is in itself expensive. During the breeding season, 
however, the species does much good by eating insects and by feeding 
them to its young, which are reared almost entirely upon this food. 
The bird does the greatest amount of good in spring, when it follows 
the plow in search of large grub worms, of which it is so fond that it 
sometimes literally crams its stomach full of them. The farmer must 
decide for himself whether or not these birds cause more damage than 
can be repaid by insect destruction; but when they destroy an entire 
crop it is no consolation to know that they have already eaten a multi- 
tude of insects which, if left alone, would have accomplished the same 
result. 
THE SPARROWS! 
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 differences, 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 (Melospiza), chipping 
sparrow (Spizella socialis), and field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) (fig. 14)— 
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 J une, 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 Ilymenoptera and predaceous beetles, all useful insects, ar 
'The sparrows here mentioned aro all native species. For a full account of the 
English sparrow, including its introduction, habits, and dopredations, seo Bull. No.1 
of the Division of Ornithology, published in 1889. 
