92 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 
be the only kind eaten to any considerable extent, and in the later 
summer wild fruit forms a large part of its vegetable diet. This 
thrush does not aid in the destruction of the seeds of noxious weeds. 
In its insect diet the russet-back thrush is almost wholly beneficial, 
as it eats but few predaceous beetles or other useful insects. As 
young thrushes are fed almost exclusively upon insects, and as they 
eat almost continuously from morning till night, they must destroy 
an enormous number of these harmful creatures. From our present 
knowledge of its food and general habits, the russet-back thrush must 
be considered as one of our positively beneficial birds. 
HERMIT THRUSH. 
(Hylocichta guttata.) 
The hermit thrush occurs in the valley and foothill parts of Cali- 
fornia only as a winter visitant. Thus it can destroy no fruit, except 
perhaps olives, and thus far no complaints have been made against 
the species in this respect. Although the bird has not yet attracted 
attention by depredations upon fruit, it may be well, nevertheless, 
to glance at its food habits as indicated by the contents of 68 stomachs. 
These were mostly taken in or about the Bay region, while a few 
came from the southern part of the State. Examination of the con- 
tents of these stomachs shows animal matter to the extent of 56 
percent. and vegetable 44 percent. The proportion of the’ two 
elements varies little in the different months. 
_lnimal food—Hymenoptera, mestly ants, constitute the largest 
item of the insect food. They amount to 2+ percent, and appear to 
be eaten regularly in every month. This record is better than that 
of the russet-back. Caterpillars come next in importance, and form 
10 percent of the food. They seem to be eaten rather more freely 
in February and March than in other months, though they are taken 
at all times of year. Predatory beetles (Carabidw) are noticeable by 
their absence, as only a few remains of them appear. Beetles of other 
families, all harmful species, ferm 11 percent of the food. Weevils, 
or snout-beetles (Rhynchophora), constitute more than two-thirds 
of these, which would seem to indicate that they are a favorite food. 
When we consider that the carabids live on the ground, and are the 
most abundant and most. easily obtained of any of the common 
beetles, and note how few of them the hermit thrush eats, while on 
the other hand it cats many snout-beetles, which, living to a great 
extent on trees, are generally much more difficult to find, we are 
forced to the conclusion that the latter are a preferred food, and that 
they are purposely sought for. Other insects, with some spiders and 
a few miscellaneous articles of diet (Oniscus), amount to about 12 
