80 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 
WESTERN CHIPPING SPARROW. 
(Spizella passerina arizonz.) 
The western chipping sparrow occurs during the breeding season 
and early fall over most of the State, and winters sparingly in the 
southern part. Like its eastern relative it is very domestic, and often 
builds its nests in gardens and orchards. The bird well merits the 
name socialis, now, unhappily, superseded, and its gentle and con- 
fiding ways endear it to all bird lovers. It is one of the most insectiv- 
‘orous of all the sparrows, and is valuable in the garden or about the 
farm. 
For the investigation of this bird’s food 96 stomachs were available. 
They were taken from April to October inclusive, and probably give 
a fair idea of the food for that part of the year. It is quite likely 
that the winter food consists largely, if not entirely, of weed seeds, as 
4 stomachs taken in the southern part of the State in winter (not 
included in this investigation) were almost entirely filled with this 
food. The first division of the stomachs’ contents gives 45 percent 
of animal food and 55 percent of vegetable. 
Animal food.—The animal food consists of insects and spiders, with 
a few bits of eggshell. Beetles were eaten from April to August inclu- 
sive, with the maximum of 23 percent in July. In one stomach were 
the remains of 30 weevils or snout beetles, but so badly crushed and 
broken that specific identification was impossible. The average 
monthly percentage is 6.7. Hymenoptera amount to 11.8 percent. 
They are represented mostly by ants, with which several stomachs 
were entirely filled. The greatest quantity were eaten in June, when 
they aggregated 67.5 percent, or more than four-fifths of the animal 
food for the month. In the other months they were taken rather 
irregularly and in small quantities. 
Hemiptera are eaten to the average extent of 7.5 percent. They 
appear rather irregularly, and the greatest, consumption is in October, 
20 percent. None were found in August or September stomachs, but 
as only 4 were collected in October, and not many in the two previous 
months, the record can not be considered as fully reliable. They con- 
sist of stinkbugs and leafhoppers, with a few others, of which the 
most interesting are scales and plant lice. These were each found in 
5 stomachs. The scales were the black olive species (Saissetia olez). 
Diptera, or flies, do not appear to be favorite food with the chipping 
sparrow. They were eaten only in the months from April to July 
inclusive, with the maximum consumption in May, when about 12 
percent were taken, or more than half of all. The average per month 
is only 3 percent. 
Caterpillars are evidently the favorite animal food, as they were 
eaten to an average extent of 14.7 percent, or more than any other 
