50 FOOD OF THE FLYCATCHEKS. 



are most numerous, and the number that are annually destroyed by 

 this species alone is almost beyond calculation. 



In the investigation of this bird's diet there were 174 stomachs 

 available for study. They were collected in 8 States, though most of 

 them were taken in California, and are fairly well distributed over the 

 six months from April to September. The food is made up of 99.93 

 per cent of animal matter and 0.07 per cent of vegetable. 



Animal food. — Beetles, in the food of the western wood pewee, 

 amount to 5.44 per cent, and were contained in 73 stomachs. Of 

 these, ladybird beetles (Coccinelhdse) are 0.26 per cent, and predaceous 

 ground beetles (Carabidse) are 0.69 per cent, or in all, 0.95 per cent; 

 that is, less than 1 per cent of useful beetles. The rest belong to harm- 

 ful families, though no special pest was noted. 



Hymenoptera (wasps and bees) are evidently very inviting food for 

 the pewee. They are eaten in every month of the bird's stay north 

 and a goodly quantity in each. They amount to 39.81 per cent of the 

 food of the season (April to September), and were found in 107 stom- 

 achs, of which 17 contained no other food. Parasitic species were 

 noted in 8 stomachs and ants in 10. No trace of a honeybee was 

 found. Maj. Bendire quotes Mr. F. Stevens as saying of this species: 



I have known apiarists to be compelled to shoot a great many to protect their bees; 

 one in San Diego County told me that he shot several hundred in a season. They 

 capture both workers and drones, and I have examined many stomachs which had 

 stings sticking in them. 1 



It would seem that conditions must have been very exceptional to 

 cause such a destruction of honeybees, for the writer has never yet 

 heard any complaints against the bird on this score and the stomachs 

 contain no honeybees. 



Diptera (flies) are the largest item of tins pewee's food. They are 

 eaten in every month of the bird's stay in the north and form a high 

 percentage in all but one. They amount to 44.25 per cent of the food, 

 which is the highest record for this item in the food of any one of the 

 17 flycatchers under consideration. This bird is well entitled to the 

 name, for it certainly does catch flies, and 30 of the 162 stomachs were 

 entirely filled with them. They were so much broken that species 

 could not be recognized, but five families were distinguished. These 

 were the horseflies (Tabanidae), the snipe flies (Leptidse), the crane 

 flies (Tipulidae), the robber flies (Asilidae), and the house flies (Mus- 

 cidse). Diptera and Hymenoptera together constitute 84.06 per cent 

 of the western pewee's food. 



Hemiptera (bugs) are apparently not to the taste of this pewee. 

 They were eaten only in the months from June to September, and 

 amounted to but 1.79 per cent of the food. They were contained in 

 39 stomachs, and consisted of such families as stinkbugs, leaf hoppers, 

 tree hopp v ers, and negro bugs, with probably others indeterminable. 



» Life Histories of North American Birds, II, p. 292, 1895. 



