44 



FOOD OF BOBOLINK, BLACKBIRDS, AND GRACKLES. 



damage due to its consumption of grain. The destruction that it some- 

 times causes must be attributed entirely to its too great abundance in 

 some localities. 



The following table shows the various elements of its food for each 

 month: 



Food of the red-winged blackbird. 



[Number of stoiMachs examined: January, 11; February, 48; March, 84; April, 104; May, 75; June, 158; 

 July. 141; August, 151; September, 56; October, 91; November, 82; December, 82; total, 1,083.] 



Food. 





i 



1 



1 



< 



i 



1 



D 



i 

 < 



1 



1 





1 



a 



1 



ANIMAL. 



Predaceous beetl's 

 Snout-beetles 



Per- 

 cent. 



Per- 

 cent. 

 0.2 

 1.3 

 2.2 

 2.1 

 0.2 

 0.2 



0.3 



Per- 

 cent. 

 3.1 

 0.8 

 1.2 

 8.2 

 0.2 

 0.7 



0.5 



Per- 

 cent. 

 2.7 

 0.4 

 7.8 

 8.2 

 4.0 

 0.0 



3.2 



Per- 

 cent. 

 0.5 

 7.2 

 11.2 

 20.1 

 3.3 

 10.3 



2.0 

 1.4 



Per- 

 cent. 



0.5 

 22.4 

 13.4 

 10.4 

 12.7 



9.0 



5.8 

 2.0 



Per- 

 cent. 

 0.5 

 7.8 

 3.9 

 4.3 

 13.4 

 9.8 



2.0 

 0.2 



Per- 

 cent. 



1.9 



2.5 



1.8 



0.9 



17.0 



2.4 



0.4 

 0.1 



Per- 

 cent. 

 1.5 

 0.2 

 0.1 

 9.5 

 4.1 

 1.0 



iTr. 

 0.1 



Per- 

 cent. 

 0.3 

 0.4 

 0.8 

 0.3 

 1.1 

 1.0 



0.2 



Per- 

 cent. 



0.1 

 iTr. 

 'Tr. 

 ITr. 

 ITr. 



0.1 



0.1 



Per- 

 cent. 



0.4 



0.7 



0.2 



0.3 



ITr. 



o.t; 



1.4 



Per- 

 cent. 



2.5 

 4.1 

 3.5 

 5.9 

 4.7 

 4.1 



1.3 



0.5 



Other beetles 



Caterpillars 



0.1 

 0.1 



Other in.seets 



Spiders and my- 

 riar>ods 



1.2 



Other animal food 



Totiilaiiiinal 



food 





0.7 1 1.5 













1.4 



G.5 



1 

 15.4 ! 40.4 



08.0 



1 

 88.2 1 47.9 



27.0 



10.5 



4.7 



0.3 



3.0 



20.0 



VEGETABLE. 





2.0 

 2.0 



1.2 

 9.2 



0.0 

 7.8 

 5.9 

 2.0 

 2.3 

 35.7 



4 7 



5.1 

 13.5 

 0.7 

 0.4 

 10.2 



2.2 



0.6 

 3.0 

 1.4 

 0.9 

 0.4 

 3.0 



1.9 



2.1 

 4.2 

 22.0 

 13.1 

 2.7 

 4.5 



2.9 



0.0 

 6.7 



27.3 

 0.2 

 1.8 



15.5 



15.9 







.Tr. 

 1.4 



"i.V 



0.2 



0.0 

 4.0 

 0.3 

 2.2 

 0.8 

 54.0 



4.3 







7.5 

 4.2 

 1.0 



0.9 

 0.3 



Oats 





Wheat 







1.5 

 1.2 

 70.3 



1.2 



Other Krain 





0.8 

 85.3 



2.8 



Weed seeds 



Other vegetable 

 food 



98.0 



55.7 

 14.5 



88.0 

 0.1 



97.0 



1.2 



91.2 

 3.7 



Totjil vegeta- 

 ble food.... 







1 



98. C. 



93.5 



84.0 



69.0 



32.1 



11.7 



52.1 



73.0 



83.5 



95.3 



99.7 



90.4 



73.4 



CALIFORNIA BED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 



(.l;/('/a/».s (/ulicntdlor c(ilifornicu^. ) 



The California rod-winged blackbird is confined to the Pacific coast 

 region west of the Ca.scad(\s and the Sierra Nevada, and ranges from 

 Washington to Lower California. The stomachs upon which this in- 

 vestigation is based, 61 in all, were collected in California at different 

 times of the year, but none in February, May, or August (see p. 74). 

 Although this number is entirely too small to give data that can be 

 considered final, it is thought best to publish those obtained, as they 

 will irive some insight into the character of the food. 



