NUTHATCHES AND TITMICE. 79 



Vegetable food. — The vegetable food of the bush tit may be consid- 

 ered under two categories — fruit and miscellaneous matter. Fruit in 

 some form was found in stomachs taken in the months from August 

 to November, inclusive. The average amount eaten in those four 

 months was a little less than 1 percent. It is represented in the 

 stomachs by pulp and skins, which have not been further identified. 

 The miscellaneous vegetable matter is composed of a few seeds, gran- 

 ules of poison oak (Rhus diversildba) , leaf galls, and rubbish. The 

 seeds of poison oak are eaten by many birds, and so are distributed 

 about the country, but, as a rule, they are too large to be swallowed 

 by the tit, which contents itself with pecking off the wax surrounding 

 the seed. This is identified in the stomachs by certain woody gran- 

 ules. A large portion of the vegetable food consists of small galls, 

 apparently from leaves. They are eaten when first developed, when 

 young and tender. As each of these probably contained an egg 

 or grub, it is questionable if the} 7 should not be classed as animal 

 food. The remainder of the vegetable matter is of such a nature that 

 the only term which really describes it is ' rubbish.' It is probable 

 that it is mostly taken accidentally along with other food, and perhaps 

 should not be considered in the food category. 



FOOD OF NESTLINGS. 



Among the 353 stomachs of the bush tits whose food has been 

 discussed was one brood of eight nestlings about ten days old. As 

 these are the only nestlings collected, their food would merit atten- 

 tion, but examination shows it to be of unusual interest. The vege- 

 table matter in these stomachs was only three-fourths of 1 percent 

 and consisted of one seed and some rubbish. The animal matter 

 comprised, approximately : Beetles 2, wasps 2 3 bugs 8, caterpillars and 

 pupaB 80, and spiders 7 percent. The point of greatest interest, 

 however, lies in the fact that every one of these stomachs contained 

 pupae of the codling moth, distributed as follows: Two stomachs 

 contained 2 each, two contained 3 each, one contained 4, one 7, one 9, 

 and one 11, making 41 in all, or an average of over 5 to each. The 

 oak tree in which these birds were found was in a belt of timber 

 along a creek, and just across the stream was a considerable area of 

 neglected orchard. It is evident that the parent birds used this 

 orchard as a foraging ground and did their best toward remedying 

 the neglect of the owner. As with nestling birds feeding and diges- 

 tion are almost continuous during the hours of daylight it follows 

 that the above record would be several times repeated during a day's 

 feeding. There were probably not less than a dozen nests of the 

 bush tit (several Avere seen) along the border of this orchard, and 

 if, as is probable, the occupants all did as good work as the ones 



