﻿MISCELLANEOUS 
  ANIMAL 
  FOOD. 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  Fig. 
  9.— 
  Tarnished 
  plant 
  bug 
  (Lygus 
  pratensis). 
  (From 
  

   Chittenden, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology.) 
  

  

  Among 
  other 
  insects, 
  ants 
  and 
  wasps 
  taken 
  together 
  are 
  but 
  little 
  

   over 
  one-half 
  of 
  1 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  }^ear's 
  food. 
  The 
  beneficial 
  species 
  

   consumed 
  were 
  ichneumon 
  flies, 
  but 
  they 
  make 
  up 
  only 
  0.07 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  total 
  food. 
  Ants 
  at 
  certain 
  times 
  are 
  eaten 
  freely, 
  especially 
  

   b}^ 
  California 
  larks. 
  These 
  insects 
  are 
  considered 
  more 
  injurious 
  

   than 
  beneficial. 
  None 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  components 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  

   food 
  amounts 
  to 
  1 
  percent 
  of 
  

   the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Spiders 
  

   are 
  obtained 
  in 
  every 
  month, 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  number 
  being 
  

   taken 
  in 
  May. 
  Flies 
  and 
  

   their 
  larvae 
  are 
  eaten 
  whenever 
  

   found, 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  in 
  

   June. 
  Dipterous 
  larvae, 
  which 
  

   live 
  in 
  the 
  brine 
  of 
  salt 
  tanks 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast, 
  are 
  among 
  

   those 
  eaten, 
  20 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  stomach. 
  Thirty-three 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  house 
  fly 
  were 
  eaten 
  at 
  one 
  meal 
  by 
  another 
  

   bird. 
  Termites 
  or 
  white 
  ants 
  were 
  devoured 
  by 
  California 
  larks 
  in 
  

   October, 
  and 
  the 
  creatures 
  known 
  as 
  ant-lions 
  {Myrmeleonidae) 
  were 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  in 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  July, 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  

   eaten 
  b}^ 
  Kansas 
  horned 
  larks. 
  

  

  Miscellaneous 
  Animal 
  Food. 
  

  

  Twenty 
  -two 
  birds 
  had 
  eaten 
  animal 
  matter 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  

   miscellaneous. 
  One 
  had 
  eaten 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  earthworms. 
  Frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  hundred-legs 
  and 
  thousand-legs 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  stomachs. 
  

   A 
  mite 
  was 
  found 
  among 
  some 
  algae 
  picked 
  up 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  Several 
  larks 
  which 
  were 
  shot 
  on 
  beaches 
  had 
  

   gathered 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  periwinkles, 
  but 
  whether 
  

   these 
  were 
  taken 
  for 
  food 
  or 
  as 
  an 
  aid 
  in 
  grind- 
  

   ing 
  food 
  is 
  a 
  question. 
  Bits 
  of 
  oyster, 
  mus- 
  

   sel, 
  and 
  crab 
  shell 
  were 
  probably 
  taken 
  for 
  

   the 
  latter 
  purpose. 
  One 
  or 
  two 
  snails 
  also 
  

   were 
  eaten. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  its 
  animal 
  diet 
  is 
  concerned, 
  the 
  

   horned 
  lark 
  is 
  exceeding^ 
  beneficial. 
  It 
  con- 
  

   sumes 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  animal 
  matter 
  in 
  every 
  

   month 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  August 
  

   nearly 
  one-half 
  its 
  food 
  is 
  of 
  animal 
  nature, 
  

   chiefly 
  insects. 
  These 
  consist 
  largely 
  of 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  which 
  if 
  unchecked 
  would 
  soon 
  render 
  

   Feeding 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  

   of 
  the 
  crops 
  which 
  the 
  insects 
  threaten 
  to 
  destroy, 
  the 
  horned 
  lark 
  is 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  efficient 
  natural 
  checks 
  upon 
  their 
  numbers, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  overestimate 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  service 
  thus 
  rendered. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  10.— 
  Chinch 
  bug 
  (Blissus 
  

   leucopterus). 
  (From 
  Webster, 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology.) 
  

  

  agriculture 
  impossible. 
  

  

  