﻿PKAIRIE 
  HEN. 
  15 
  

  

  destroys 
  also 
  the 
  potato 
  beetle 
  {Leptinotarsa 
  decemlineata) 
  , 
  in 
  both 
  

   adult 
  and 
  larval 
  stages, 
  and 
  the 
  injurious 
  12-spotted 
  cucumber 
  

   beetle 
  (Diabrotica 
  12 
  -punctata) 
  . 
  The 
  stomach 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  collected 
  by 
  

   H. 
  P. 
  Attwater, 
  November 
  7, 
  1893, 
  in 
  Aransas 
  County, 
  Tex., 
  contained 
  

   16 
  of 
  these 
  latter 
  insects. 
  Among 
  other 
  leaf-eating 
  beetles 
  eaten 
  may 
  

   be 
  mentioned 
  Chrysomela 
  pulchra, 
  Chrysomela 
  suturalis, 
  Disonycha 
  

   quinquevittata, 
  Monoxia 
  puncticollis, 
  and 
  Graphops 
  pubescens. 
  The 
  

   injurious 
  May 
  beetles 
  (Lachnosterna 
  sp.) 
  also 
  are 
  -destroyed, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  weevils 
  (Thecesternus 
  humeralis 
  and 
  other 
  species). 
  Like 
  many 
  

   other 
  birds, 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  partial 
  to 
  ground 
  beetles. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  take 
  such 
  kinds 
  as 
  Anisodactylus 
  rusticus, 
  Agonoderus 
  

   pallipes, 
  Amara 
  sp., 
  and 
  Chlcenius 
  sp. 
  It 
  probably 
  feeds 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  

   different 
  abundant 
  species 
  of 
  Harpalus. 
  Ladybirds 
  are 
  at 
  times 
  de- 
  

   stroyed, 
  as 
  was 
  attested 
  by 
  remains 
  of 
  Hippodamia 
  convergens 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  one 
  stomach. 
  

  

  Miscellaneous 
  insects 
  are 
  eaten 
  in 
  small 
  numbers, 
  but 
  are 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  because 
  they 
  include 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  insect 
  foes, 
  such 
  as 
  

   the 
  cotton 
  worm 
  (Alabama 
  argillacea), 
  a 
  the 
  army 
  worm 
  (Heliophila 
  

   unipuncta), 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  cutworms, 
  the 
  yellow 
  bear 
  caterpillar 
  

   (Diacrisia 
  virginica), 
  cankerworms 
  (Geometridw) 
  , 
  the 
  Angoumois 
  

   grain 
  moth 
  (Sitotroga 
  cerealella), 
  and 
  the 
  chinch 
  bug 
  ■ 
  (Blissus 
  

   leucopterus) 
  . 
  The 
  bird's 
  habits 
  of 
  eating 
  chinch 
  bugs 
  has 
  been 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  by 
  B. 
  F. 
  Gault, 
  of 
  Chicago, 
  and 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  M. 
  Webster, 
  of 
  

   the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology. 
  Other 
  bugs, 
  including 
  stink 
  bugs 
  (Eus- 
  

   chistus 
  sp.) 
  and 
  the 
  tree 
  hoppers 
  (Stictocephalus 
  sp.) 
  make 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  food. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  ants, 
  such 
  as 
  Formica 
  exsectoides, 
  the 
  prairie 
  

   hen 
  occasionally 
  eats 
  other 
  Hymenoptera, 
  including 
  Tiphia 
  inomata 
  

   and 
  gall 
  insects 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  galls 
  of 
  Cynipidse. 
  In 
  its 
  liking 
  for 
  

   galls 
  and 
  their 
  contents 
  the 
  bird 
  resembles 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  and 
  the 
  

   British 
  pheasant. 
  

  

  Further 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  will 
  unquestion- 
  

   ably 
  add 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  foregoing 
  enumeration 
  of 
  insects, 
  but 
  our 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  knowledge, 
  incomplete 
  as 
  it 
  is, 
  shows 
  the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  

   insect 
  food, 
  and 
  establishes 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  a 
  destroyer 
  of 
  

  

  insect 
  pests. 
  

  

  Vegetable 
  Food. 
  

  

  From 
  October 
  to 
  April, 
  inclusive, 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  takes 
  little 
  but 
  

   vegetable 
  food. 
  This 
  element 
  amounts 
  to 
  85.89 
  percent 
  for 
  the 
  year. 
  

   Fruit 
  constitutes 
  11.79 
  percent; 
  leaves, 
  flowers, 
  and 
  shoots, 
  25.09 
  per- 
  

   cent; 
  seeds, 
  14.87 
  percent; 
  grain, 
  31.06 
  percent, 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  

   vegetable 
  material, 
  3.08 
  percent. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  and 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  fond 
  of 
  

   rose 
  hips, 
  and 
  the 
  abundant 
  roses 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  yield 
  11.01 
  percent 
  

  

  o 
  Fourth 
  Rep. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Ent. 
  Commission, 
  p. 
  88, 
  1885. 
  

  

  