6 



FOOD OF THE FLYCATCHERS. 



Table I. — Percentage of animal and vegetable food found in stomachs of flycatchers. 



Species. 



Number of Animal 

 stomachs. food. 



Vegetable 

 food. 



Olive-sided flycatcher (Nuttallornis borealis) 



Western wood pewee (Myiochanes richardsoni) 



Say's phcebe (Sayornis sayus) 



Black phcebe (Sayornis nigricans) 



Western yellow-bellied flycatcher (Empidonax difflcilis) 



Wood pewee (Myiochanes virens) 



Least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 



Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) 



Yellow-bellied flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) 



Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Muscivora forficata) 



Alder flycatcher (Empidonax trailli alnorum) 



Crested flycatcher (Myiarehus crinitus) 



Ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarehus cinerascens) 



Arkansas kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) 



Phoebe (Sayornis phcebe) 



Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 



Cassin's kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) 



Total or average 



99.93 

 99.78 

 99.41 

 99.31 

 98.97 

 97.83 

 97.05 

 97.01 

 9(3.12 

 9(5.05 

 93.70 

 92.32 

 90. Gl 



88^93 

 78.57 



0.05 

 .07 



1.03 

 2.17 

 2.95 

 2.99 

 3.88 

 3.95 



10.77 

 11.07 

 21.43 



94.99 



In the following table the species are arranged in their natural 

 order, with the percentages of the principal elements of the food and 

 the average of each kind in all the stomachs. It will be noted that 

 Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, and ants) amount to nearly 35 per cent 

 of the average diet of the 17 species, or more than one-third of their 

 food. Of 13 of these species Hymenoptera are the largest element in 

 the diet. Of 1 species Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) are 

 the leading food; in another Lepidoptera (moths and caterpillars) 

 are the favorites, and in 2 others Diptera (flies) stand at the head. 

 Hemiptera (bugs) are eaten quite extensively by some, but naturally 

 the ones taken are the larger flying species. Plant lice and scales 

 have not yet been found in the stomach of any flycatcher, though one 

 bird was shot on a plant covered with lice, with winch its bill was fdled. 

 Table II. — Detailed classification of food of flycatchers. 



Species. 



i 



•a 



1 



3 

 1 



3 



o 



I 



Pi 



21 



1 



f 



i 



c 

 c . 



k 



— 

 c 

 a 



x: ^ 

 z g 

 gj 



gl 



"B. 

 ■3 



a 



1 



s 



•a 



- 



E . 



ll 



3 





1 





E 



"3 



o 



! 



6 



1" 



s 



s 



ft 



1 



a 

 g 



5 



i a 



A 



X. 

 z 



I 

 I 



9 



c a 



si 



1 



< 



I 



1 



1 



Scissor-tailod flycatcher 



Kingbird 



96. 12 



00.61 



Ts. 67 

 93. 70 

 92.32 



.V.I. 23 



99. 78 

 99.41 



99. 95 

 98. 97 



99. 93 

 97.01 



99.31 



'.17.0.'. 

 90.05 

 97.83 



3.88 



11.07 



9.39 



21.43 



6.30 



7.68 



10.77 



.22 



.59 



.05 



1.(13 

 .1(7 

 2.99 



. 00 

 2. 96 

 8.96 



2.17 



13.74 

 27.. 3.-, 

 17.02 

 14.91 

 16. 7s 

 7.26 

 16. 83 

 16. 87 



13.32 



8 3 1 



14.23 



6. 1 1 

 16.53 



8.39 

 13.76 

 17.89 

 01.86 



13.81 



21.61 



13. 69 

 26. 94 

 26. 69 

 80. 72 

 30. 82 

 82. 66 

 28.20 

 89.81 

 46. 86 



38.76 

 39. 98 

 41.37 

 41.10 



10.17 

 8. 77 

 5.36 

 3.41 

 14.26 

 20.11 

 10.38 

 4. 47, 

 10.66 

 3.25 

 5. 99 



1.79 



4. 16 



8.44 

 6.08 

 7.24 

 11.12 



3.80 

 3.19 



2.91 



3.1(6 



12.83 



6. V.I 

 16.67 



.88 

 29. 98 



ii j' 

 14.88 



31.22 



8.15 



14.20 



.11.34 



•16.07 



11.88 



27. n 



14.(17 

 16. 62 

 6.14 

 12. 01 



15.36 

 2. 46 

 1.12 

 3.44 

 .00 

 .00 



. 62 



3.91 

 2.59 



4. 61 



8. is 



7.31 

 is. 21 

 21.38 

 17. 11 

 8.86 

 12. 12 

 8.22 

 4.13 

 12.31 

 5.17 

 6.68 



6. 69 

 is. 87 

 7.73 



7.27 



0. 39 

 7.7(i 



.90 

 2. 61 

 4.88 



1 . 08 

 8.17 

 8. Ki 



1.77 



2.61 



3. 23 



.98 



.71 

 .99 



2.77 

 .95 



4.68 

 1.62 



.24 

 .34 



4.03 

 . 00 

 .00 



1.33 

 . 85 

 .00 



2.21 

 .21 



N. .-,'.' 



4.58 



2. 8 1 

 .91 

 2.11 



2.43 

 10.71 



19 09 



7.( 1 



4.y.i 

 .08 

 .28 

 .in 

 .84 

 . 06 



2.51 



.88 



1.45 



Arkansas kingbird 



Cassin's kingbird 



Crested flycatcher 



Ash-throaicd flycatcher — 

 PhcBbe 



.05 

 2.34 

 .94 

 .04 



.16 



Black phCBbe 



Olive-si. led flycatcher 



.31 

 .01 

 .19 



Western wood pewee 



Yellow-bellied flycatcher.. . 

 Western yellow-bellied fly- 



caUher 



.02 



.48 



.31 



.27 



Alder flycatcher 



Least flycatcher 



.07 

 .34 





94.99 



6.01 



14.31 



*„■ 



7.681 13.71 



9.99 



9.93 



2.91 



2.05 



*" 



.77 











