34 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



found in the stomachs of several species of tree-haunting insectivorous 

 birds. 



The following is a list of insects identified in the stomach of the 

 Arkansas kingbird: 



COLEOPTERA. 



Platynus sp. Epicauta sp. 



Aphodius fimetarius. Hydaticus stagnalis. 



Amphicoma ursina. Agabus sp. 



Cremastochilus sp. Silpha ramosa. 



Geotrupes sp. Staphylinus luteipes. 



Megapenihes turbulentus. Balaninus sp. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Apis mellifera. Andrena sp. 



Prosopis affinis Cry plus sp. 



Habropoda sp. Ophion bilineata. 

 Meiissodes sp. 



HEMIPTERA. 



Euschistus servus. Calocoris rapidus. 



Nezara sp. Eurygaster alternatus. 



Podisus modestus. 



Vegetable food. — The vegetable food of the Arkansas kingbird 

 amounts to about 13 percent, and consists mostly of fruit. It was 

 all contained in 15 stomachs, of which 10 held elderberries {8am- 

 bucus) and 5 various small berries not positively identified. One 

 also contained an olive, the only cultivated fruit found. A few 

 seeds also were noted. 



SUMMARY. 



In a summary of the economic significance of the food of this king- 

 bird it should be noted that the bird must be judged by its destruc- 

 tion of insects, for, since it does not eat any product of cultivation 

 to an appreciable extent, its vegetable food can be disregarded. 

 The offense of eating honey bees, so long laid at this bird's door, is 

 practically disproved, for the more or less useless drones eaten far 

 outnumber the useful workers. The injury the kingbird does, if 

 any, is by eating predaceous beetles and parasitic Hymenoptera, 

 but it takes these in such small numbers as to leave no reasonable 

 doubt that the bird is one of our most useful species. 



CASSIN KINGBIRD. 



One other species of Tyrannus (T. vociferans) , commonly known as 

 the Cassin kingbird, occurs in the southern half of the State, where 

 it frequents orchards and ranches. It is less abundant than the 

 Arkansas kingbird, but has similar habits, and an examination ol 

 several stomachs shows that the food of the two species is practically 

 the same. 



