62 FOOD HABITS OF THE GROSBEAKS. 
with blackberries and their crops full of them. I saw many of the berries 
which they had taken one bite from, leaving the rest. 
In New Mexico the bird bears no better reputation, according to 
Jackson Tabor, of Folsom, who says: 
I have found the black-headed grosbeak to be very destructive to all kinds 
of vegetables and fruits. They made their first appearance in this country 
in the year 1888, and they came in swarms. * * * They destroyed the entire 
crop of gooseberries and commenced on crabapples, eating the apples off the 
top of the tree as I was picking them off the lower limbs. In the spring and 
early summer they take the cherries as fast as they get ripe, and the only 
remedy seems to be to wage a war of extermination against them. (September 
2, 1903.) : 
Two stomachs were collected in Mr. Tabor’s orchard on this date 
and both contained fruit, that in one stomach being identified as 
crabapple. 
Following are the results obtained from the investigation of stom- 
ach contents: Cherries, both ripe and green, were selected by 41 
of the grosbeaks examined, frequently composing from +45 to 95 
percent of the stomach contents. All were identified by skins, not 
a seed being found, showing that the birds here and there bite 
into a cherry, destroying in this way many more cherries than if 
they satisfied their appetites by swallowing the fruit entire. Figs 
were next in order of preference, being devoured by 23 grosbeaks. 
In some cases they composed from 80 to 100 percent of the food. 
Among other fruits, remains of plums, crabapples, and apricots 
were found, each in one stomach, and strawberries in two. Uniden- 
tified fruit pulp and blackberries had been eaten by 23 birds. As 
noted above, it is uncertain whether these were cultivated or not, 
but probably the bulk were cultivated and should be charged against 
the bird. 
Thus far our investigations have revealed nothing but injury by 
the bird, but, as will be shown later, the blackhead is not exclusively 
an enemy. 
ProrectIve MerHops.—In connection with this subject there re- 
mains to be considered possible methods of reducing or altogether 
preventing loss from depredations by these birds. The plan usu- 
ally suggested is the one mentioned in the above letter of Mr. 
Tabor, namely, “a war of extermination.” This is generally effected 
by poisoning or shooting. 
Aside from the fact that the justice of this method is open to 
serious question, there is the greater objection that innocent species 
often suffer equally with or even in greater degree than the marau- 
der. In illustration we quote from Frank Stephens: 4 
At Beale Spring both sexes were common and destroying quantities of 
fruit, to the great annoyance of the owner of the orchard, who employed an 
“Condor, V, 1903, p. 103. 
