44 FOOD OF BOBOLINK, BLACKBIRDS, AND GRACKLES. 
damage due to its consumption of grain. The destruction that it some- 
times causes must be attributed entirely to its too great abundance in 
some localities. 
The following table shows the various elements of its food for each 
month: 
Food of the red-winged blackbird. 
(NUMBER OF STOMACHS EXAMINED: January, 11; February, 48; March, 84; April, 104; May, 75; June, 158; 
July, 141; August, 151; September, 56; October, 91; November, 82; December, 82; total, 1,083.] 
a oma 2 : 
. be 2 oO oO 
B04 5 2 nH} a | 8 | ¢ 
Food. a a | 6 ; g qd | 3 8 g| 2 
I q 5 a re oy 3 2 2 2 ca 5 
pie lelSleleBl ele /e/ Ble ETE 
&/e&|/a)/<4/e)/4 )/4 | 4} al]o}lasaie€ 
AoSysbad., Per-' Pcr- | Per- | Per- | Per- | Per-| Per-| Per- | Per- | Per- | Per- | Per-| Per- 
cent, cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. | cent. 
Predaceous beetl’s|.....- 0.2) 31) 27) 65) 65} 65] 19) 1.5) 0.3] 01] 04) 25 
Snout-beetles 
Other beetles 
Caterpillars ...... 0.1); 21] 82) 82) 201/164] 43) 09] 95) 03)1Tr| 03] 59 
Grasshoppers.....|----.- 0.2); 0.2) 4.6) 3.3 | 12.7} 18.4) 17.0) 4.1) 1.1 )1Tr.)1Tr) 47 
Other insects ..... 1.2] 0.2] 0.7] 6.0) 163) 9Of 98] 24) 1.0) 1.6] 0.1] 06] 41 
Spiders and my- 
PI NPO AS? <rc-sisses:s.255 | sisrereisin 0.3] 0.5] 3.2] 2.0) 5.8] 2.0} 0.4)/1Tr.} 0.2] O12] 1.4] 18 
Other animal food]......|...... PGP, oe BO a Oe asl ela 0.5 
Total animal | 
20] “OG as sesleceens DPT. |sca 2c 0.6 
4.21 6.7) BS) BF) Bed) Ls] &8 
22.6) 27.8 | 4.2 | 0.3 ].--.-. 0.2) 63 
.9 | 18.1] 6.2] 1.6]...... OFT exeess 2.2 
Other grain D238) Ose) Ode] 227) AVS a ewwes |acesealeeeseelee sets 0.8 
Weed seeds 35.7| 10.2] 3.6] 4.5 | 15.5 | 55.7 | 88.0 | 97.0 | 91.2 | 54.6 
Other vegetable 
Total vegeta- 
ble food... 
98.6 | 93.5 | 84.6 BIG Beat 11.7 | 52.1 | 73.0 | 83.5 | 95.8 | 99.7 | 96.4 | 73.4 
\Tr, = trace, 
CALIFORNIA RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 
(Agelaius gubernator californicus.) 
The California red-winged blackbird is confined to the Pacific coast 
region west of the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada, and ranges from 
Washington to Lower California. The stomachs upon which this in- 
vestigation is based, 61 in all, were collected in California at different 
times of the year, but none in February, May, or August (see p. 74): 
Although this number is entirely too small to give data that can be 
considered final, it is thought best to publish those obtained, as they 
will give some insight into the character of the food. 
