56 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 
were present in numbers, but two weeks later, when the earlier 
varieties were gone and the later ones were ripe, hardly any smaller 
birds were present, while the jays were as busy as ever; and still 
later, at the end of the season, when the prune crop came on, jays 
were still taking a heavy toll. 
It will thus be seen that the jay has many more bad qualities 
than good. In fact, from the economic point of view he has few 
redeeming virtues. Something may be said in his favor from the 
esthetic side, as he is a handsome bird, and people interested in 
country life would no doubt miss his familiar presence. But as the 
case stands there are far too many California jays. If they could 
be reduced to a fourth or a half of their present numbers, the remain- 
der would probably do no serious harm. This is exactly what is 
likely to take place gradually as the State becomes more thickly 
settled and forest and chaparral lands decrease. 
BLACKBIRD, ORIOLE, AND MEADOWLARK FAMILY. 
(Icteridex.) 
The family which includes the orioles, blackbirds, and meadow- 
larks embraces species widely different in form, plumage, nesting 
habits, and food. The orioles nest in trees and obtain the greater 
part of their food thereon. The blackbirds nest upon low trees, 
bushes, or reeds, and take their food from trees to some extent, but 
mostly from the ground. The meadowlarks, the most. terrestrial 
of all, nest upon the ground and obtain nearly all of their food there. 
Orioles eat the greatest percentage of insects, the meadowlarks eat 
a little less, while the blackbirds eat the least. Blackbirds rank 
next to sparrows as eaters of weed seeds, especially in winter. 
Besides the Brewer blackbird there are in California 5 species 
and subspecies of redwinged blackbirds, which are so much alike 
that most of them can be distinguished only by ornithologists. 
All have practically the same nesting habits, and their food is not 
essentially different. 
BICOLORED REDWING. 
(Agelaius gubernator californicus.) 
The bicolored redwing is distributed locally over a large part of 
California, but owing to its peculiar habit of building its nest 
directly over water, the areas it occupies are restricted. Flooded 
marshes and ponds overgrown with bulrushes or tules are much 
to its taste, affording abundant nesting sites. Such places are 
common in California and many are of large extent—as those on 
Suisun Bay and in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Among 
