74 THE RELATION OF SPARROWS TO AGRICULTURE. 



with an avidity that bordered on greed. It would be wige. therefore, 

 not to draw smj final conclusions from the absence of grasshoppers in 

 most of the stomachs of white-throats and white-crowns examined. 



The most striking point in the food habits of this sparrow is its 

 fondness for berries. From July to November, inclusive, one-fourth 

 of its food consists of berries. At this time it eats the fruit of the 

 blueberrj^ {Vacciniur)i pennsylvanicuin and other species), wild cherry 

 {Prunus serotina), mountain ash {Sorhus americana), green- brier 

 [Smilax glaiica), strawberry {Fragaria sp.), spice bush [Benzoin ben- 

 zoin), wild sarsaparilla {Aralia sp.), elder {Sambucus canadensis), 

 blackberr}" (Ruhus viUosus), dogwood {Cornus florida, alternifolia 

 and stolon if era), and the high bush cranberry ( Viburnum opulus). 

 White-throats have been seen feeding in large numbers on the blue- 

 berries wliich grow profusely upon the sides of Mount Chocorua, 

 New Hampshire. So much does it relish food of this character that 

 during July fruit constitutes 44 percent of the total food of the 

 month. 



In addition to eating berries as long as they last, it picks up their 

 dry seeds and cracks them for the meat long after the fruit pulp has 

 disappeared and the seeds have been scattered on the ground. From 

 Januarj^ to May it feeds on the seeds of such fruits as the blueberry, 

 blackberr}^, elderberr}^, and grape. Some of these are doubtless 

 cracked by the bird's beak, and others by the muscular grinding giz- 

 zards. Broken fragments of grape and blackberry seeds are often 

 found in the stomachs of birds collected in the spring. Nearlj- one- 

 third of the food contents of the stomachs of 33 whitethroats collected 

 in Texas during January and Februarj^ consisted of bits of the seeds 

 or drupes of various wild berries. 



It is highly probable that as these sparrows are picking up seeds of 

 berries they get some that belonged to berries eaten at some previous 

 time by berry-eating birds, whose stomachs were not powerful enough 

 to crush the seeds, which, consequently, were voided and scattered 

 upon the ground. This double consumption of seeds is also common 

 to the diffei-ent white-crowned and fox sparrows, the cardinal grosbeak, 

 and the mourning dove. 



Some grass seed is consumed, principally seeds of such troublesome 

 species as pigeon-grass, crab-grass and other panicums, and Johnson 

 grass. This element forms about 5 percent of the total food, and is 

 taken chieflj- during September, when it amounts to 24 percent of the 

 food of the month. A little amaranth and lamb's-quarters are eaten ; 

 and gromwell, chickweed, wood sorrel, sedge, violet, and sheep sorrel 

 are all represented in the diet. But the principal weed seeds found 

 in the stomachs are those of ragweed and different polj^gonums. As 

 a destroyer of ragweed this sparrow seems to have no equal among 

 finches, and the song sparrow is its onlj^ rival as a consumer of polyg- 

 onums. The two weeds form 25 percent of the food for the year, of 



