﻿24 BULLETIN 1355, U. S. DEPAETMEI3T OF AGBICTJLTTJRE 



the food, as in most of the other species, but are subordinate to^the 

 true bugs. 



Hemiptera. — Nearly 46 per cent of all the food eaten by the Hutton 

 vireos is composed of true bugs. A little less than half of this, or 

 20.15 per cent of the total, consists of stink-bugs (Pentatomidae) . 

 So far as the available data show, no stink-bugs are eaten in [June 

 or July. As the percentage for August is 33.6, however, it is probable 

 that more stomachs would give a more even distribution for this 

 item. The rest of the bugs do not figure very high untU June, from 

 which time on they are, in general, the largest element in the diet. 



Lepidoptera. — Caterpillars, and moths and butterflies are about 



evenly balanced in the total subsistence of the Hutton vireos, the 



caterpillars amounting to 12.22 per cent and the adult forms to 



12.33 per cent. July is apparently the month whenphis|_kind of 



.food is most in demand. 



Fig. 8.— Yearly summary of the various items in the food of the Hutton vireos ( Vireo huttoni, subspp.), 

 based on the analysis of the contents of 70 stomachs 



Coleoptera. — Of the 13.25 per cent representing beetles in the food 

 of the Hutton vireos, about five-eighths are ladybird beetles (8.12 

 per cent). Ladybirds were found in nearly half the stomachs ex- 

 amined and appear to be a common food. Weevils (2.75 per cent) 

 were fairly evenly distributed, but the rest of the beetles were found 

 only infrequently. 



Hymenoptera. — Hymenopterans were found regularly in the 

 stomachs, and rather remarkably, the two months with the high 

 averages are December and January. This unusual condition will 

 in all probability be modified v\^hen additional material is examined. 

 Otherwise, the monthly percentages appear to be normal, and the 

 average for the year is 6.3 per cent. 



Other insects. — -Insects other than those belonging to the orders 

 noted above occur so irregularly in the few stomachs examined that 

 it is difficult to make any definite statement on their relative abun- 

 dance in the food. During July, when miscellaneous insects should be 

 taken in some quantity, none appear to be eaten, whereas in Febru- 



