256 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



epecimen taken at Point Clear a number of years ago is now 

 on exhibition in the mounted collection of James K. Glennon in 

 the Point Clear Hotel. 



McCormack noted this bird's arrival at Leighton on May 2 

 (1891) , and states it is rarely seen after July. Avery saw the 

 first arrivals at Greensboro on May 1 (1888). 



General habits. — The dickcissel is of local distribution and 

 of fluctuating abundance in the Eastern States ; it is a prairie- 

 loving bird, but also lives to some extent in clover fields and 

 pastures in wooded regions. It dwells chiefly on or near the 

 ground, and is usually satisfied with a low perch from which 

 to render its song. The bird is not at all shy and is rather 

 conspicuous by reason of the habit of sitting on top of a weed, 

 bush, or stake, repeating its simple song many times in succes- 

 sion with characteristic emphasis. Ridgway writes it, see, 

 see, — dick, dick — cissel, cissel, and this rendering has given 

 the bird the name by which it is now known. "The nest is 

 built of grasses, weed stalks, and leaves, lined with finer 

 grasses and hair, and is placed usually in rank clover or among 

 weeds and coarse grasses within a foot or two of the ground. 

 Occasionally it is built in a rose bush or other small shrub, 

 but always very low."* 



Food habits. — Examination of 152 stomachs of this bird in 

 the Biological Survey showed that the food consisted of 70 per 

 cent animal matter (insects, with a few spiders) ; and 30 per 

 cent vegetable. The vegetable food consisted mainly of mil- 

 let, oats, and pigeon and other grasses. The insect food was 

 chiefly grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and moths. Speaking 

 of its destruction of grasshoppers and crickets, Judd says: 

 "From June to August, inclusive, half of its diet consists of 

 these destructive insects. It feeds eagerly on short-horned 

 grasshoppers ( Acrididae) , longhorned grasshoppers (Locusti- 

 dae), and crickets (Gryllidae). The stomachs examined con- 

 tained more crickets and long-horned grasshoppers than thosi 

 of any other bird whose food habits have yet been investigated 

 by this Department."! Prof. Forbes investigated the food of 

 11 specimens of this bird taken in an orchard in Illinois. 

 Three-fourths of the stomach contents consisted of canker- 



•Hidgway, R., Birds of Illinois, pp.. 303,304, 1889. 

 tJudd, S. D., Biol. Surv. Bull. 15, p. 91, 1901. 



