WESTERN TANAGER. 25 



almost entirely on the Grevillea trees, sipping the sweet liquid that exudes 

 from the blossoms. But the Andrews Brothers, whose cherry and apple ranch 

 is in the upper Yucaipe Valley, report that the tanagers destroyed about $4,000 

 worth of cherries, being almost the entire crop. They used powder and shot 

 liberally, but did not save the crop. 



It is to be regretted that some of the stomachs of these tanagers 

 were not saved, in order that the diet of the species might be ascer- 

 tained with precision. The only material available for examination 

 consists of 46 stomachs from various parts of the State, during the six 

 months from April to September, inclusive. This number is entirely 

 too small to afford positive data as to the regular food habits of the 

 bird, but undoubtedly points in the right direction. Although the 

 testimony of field observers shows that this tanager eats a good deal 

 of fruit, analysis of the stomach contents proves that over 82 percent 

 of the food for the six months indicated above consists of insects, and 

 the remainder, nearly 18 percent, of fruit, with a mere trace of seeds of 

 a conifer. 



Insect food. — The largest item of the animal food is Hymenoptera, 

 most of which are wasps, with some ants. Altogether they amount to 

 56 percent of the food for the six months, and in August they reach 

 75 percent. (They reach 92 percent in April, but only one stomach 

 was taken in that month, so the record is not reliable.) Hemiptera 

 stand next in importance, with 8 percent. They are mostly stink- 

 bugs, with a few cicadas. Beetles amount to 12 percent of the food, 

 of which less than 1 percent are useful Carabidse. The remainder 

 are mostly click-beetles (Elateridse) and the metallic wood-borers 

 (Buprestidse), two very harmful families. The former in the larval 

 stage are commonly known as wireworms, and bore into and destroy 

 or badly injure many plants. The Buprestids, while in the larval 

 stage, are wood-borers of the worst description. Grasshoppers were 

 eaten to the amount of 4 percent, and caterpillars to the extent of less 

 than 2 percent. 



Fruit. — The greater part of the fruit eaten appeared to be the pulp 

 of some large kind like peaches or apricots. One stomach contained 

 seeds of elderberries ; another the seeds and stems of mulberries, and 

 two the seeds of raspberries or blackberries. Nearly all these 

 stomachs were collected in the mountains, away from extensive 

 orchards, but still the birds had obtained some fruit, probably 

 cultivated. 



SUMMARY. 



It is evident from the testimony that great damage from this 

 species occurs only at rare intervals and during the spring migration. 

 The greatest losses occurred in May, 1896, when the damage to the 

 cherry crop in certain localities was most disastrous. As, under ordi- 

 nary circumstances, the greater part of the food of this bird consists 



