﻿FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  53 
  

  

  Fig. 
  4.— 
  Seed 
  of 
  mayweed 
  (Anthe- 
  

   mis 
  cotula). 
  (From 
  Bull. 
  38, 
  Ne- 
  

   vada 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  

   Station.) 
  

  

  troublesome 
  to 
  farmers. 
  

  

  41.89 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  food. 
  Seeds 
  of 
  composite 
  yield 
  5.55 
  

   per 
  cent, 
  such 
  injurious 
  weeds 
  as 
  thistles 
  making 
  up 
  the 
  largest 
  part 
  

   of 
  this 
  percentage. 
  The 
  thistles 
  most 
  often 
  eaten 
  are 
  Centaurea 
  meli- 
  

   tensis, 
  C. 
  americana, 
  C. 
  solstitialis, 
  Ma- 
  

   riana 
  mariniana, 
  Sonchus 
  sp., 
  and 
  Car- 
  

   duns 
  sp. 
  M. 
  mariniana 
  has 
  the 
  largest 
  

   seeds. 
  Ninety 
  of 
  these 
  had 
  been 
  eaten 
  by 
  

   a 
  quail 
  shot 
  by 
  F. 
  E. 
  L. 
  Beal 
  at 
  Hay- 
  

   wards, 
  Cal., 
  August 
  15, 
  1903. 
  The 
  seeds 
  

   of 
  the 
  bur 
  thistle 
  (Centaurea 
  melitensis) 
  

   are 
  smaller 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  hook 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  

   and 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  spines 
  like 
  a 
  paint 
  brush 
  at 
  

   the 
  other. 
  They 
  are, 
  perhaps, 
  most 
  liked 
  

   of 
  all 
  composite 
  seeds. 
  From 
  500 
  to 
  800 
  

   are 
  often 
  eaten 
  at 
  a 
  meal. 
  The 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  seed 
  is 
  highly 
  beneficial, 
  

   for 
  the 
  bur 
  thistle 
  is 
  

  

  Wild 
  carrot 
  (Daucus 
  carota), 
  tar 
  weed 
  (Madia 
  

  

  sativa), 
  wild 
  lettuce 
  (Lactuca 
  sp.), 
  mayweed 
  

  

  (Anthemis 
  cotula), 
  and 
  marsh 
  elder 
  (Iva 
  xanthi- 
  

  

  folia) 
  furnish 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  remaining 
  seeds 
  of 
  

  

  composite 
  plants. 
  Tar 
  weed 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  source 
  of 
  

  

  f 
  | 
  food, 
  and 
  one 
  stomach, 
  collected 
  at 
  Watson 
  ville, 
  

  

  I 
  Cal., 
  by 
  J. 
  S. 
  Hunter, 
  contained 
  TOO 
  of 
  these 
  seeds. 
  

  

  If 
  m 
  /• 
  Another 
  stomach, 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  held 
  2,000 
  

  

  tiny 
  seeds 
  of 
  dog 
  fennel, 
  or 
  mayweed. 
  (Fig. 
  4.) 
  

  

  From 
  seeds 
  of 
  plants 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  spurge 
  

   family 
  (Euplxoroiacew) 
  come 
  5.85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   annual 
  food. 
  Spurges, 
  particularly 
  Croton 
  setige- 
  

   rns, 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  turkey 
  mullein, 
  are 
  a 
  staple 
  

   with 
  the 
  California 
  quail 
  as 
  with 
  most 
  other 
  seed- 
  

   eating 
  birds. 
  So 
  fond 
  are 
  the 
  quail 
  of 
  turkey 
  

   mullein 
  that 
  their 
  crops 
  are 
  often 
  completely 
  

   distended 
  with 
  the 
  seeds, 
  sometimes 
  from 
  500 
  

   to 
  900 
  to 
  a 
  bird. 
  Turkey 
  mullein 
  is 
  a 
  prostrate 
  

   plant 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  whitish, 
  woolly 
  pubes- 
  

   cence, 
  and 
  often 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  to 
  poison 
  

   fish. 
  Seeds 
  of 
  alfilaria 
  (Er 
  odium 
  eicutarium 
  

   and 
  other 
  species), 
  which 
  is 
  both 
  a 
  weed 
  and 
  a 
  

   forage 
  plant, 
  are 
  eagerly 
  sought. 
  They 
  are 
  

   lance-shaped, 
  furnished 
  with 
  a 
  long, 
  elaborate, 
  

   corkscrew 
  awn 
  ending 
  in 
  a 
  thin 
  spine. 
  They 
  burrow 
  into 
  sheep's 
  

   wool 
  and 
  even 
  pierce 
  the 
  skin. 
  The 
  alfilaria 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  seeds 
  

   of 
  the 
  West 
  that 
  all 
  seed-eating 
  birds 
  consume. 
  The 
  plant 
  is 
  very 
  

  

  Fig. 
  5.— 
  Seed 
  of 
  alfi- 
  

   laria 
  (Erodium 
  ei- 
  

   cutarium). 
  (From 
  

   Bull. 
  38, 
  Nevada 
  

   Agricultural 
  E 
  x 
  - 
  

   periment 
  Station.) 
  

  

  o 
  « 
  

  

  © 
  

  

  Fig. 
  6.— 
  Seed 
  of 
  black 
  mus- 
  

   tard 
  (Brassica 
  nigra). 
  

   (From 
  Bull. 
  38, 
  Nevada 
  

   Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  

   Station.) 
  

  

  