52 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



January, when it falls to its minimum of a little less-than 5 percent. 

 Vegetable food, on the contrary, is most sparingly eaten in April and 

 most abundantly in January. 



Animal food. — As the jay is largely a ground feeder, careful ac- 

 count was kept of the predaceous ground beetles (Carabidse). In 

 May they amount to 10 percent of the food and to nearly as much 

 in February; but in the other months they are insignificant. The 

 total for the year is 2.5 percent. Other beetles, all either harmful 

 or neutral, amount to a little more than 8 percent. They are eaten 

 rather irregularly through the year. April shows the greatest con- 

 sumption, nearly 31 percent, and January the least, only a trace. 



Hymenoptera, in the shape of wasps, bees, and ants, amount to a 

 little less than 5 percent. They were contained in 189 stomachs 

 and were distributed as follows: Honey bees in 9, ants in 27, other 

 Hymenoptera in 159. These figures illustrate the fact that a bird 

 will eat a certain article of food very often, but in small quantities. 

 While Hymenoptera amount to less than 5 percent of the food, they 

 were found in nearly 58 percent of the stomachs. The honey bees, 

 20 in number, were found in 9 stomachs, and, what is very singular, 

 all were workers. Birds that eat honey bees usually select the 

 drones, but the jay appears to have chosen the workers. Fortu- 

 nately he does not appear to eat man^ 



Hemiptera were eaten to the extent of less than one-half of 1 per- 

 cent. One stomach contained 2 black olive scales (Saissetia olese). 

 Diptera seem even less acceptable than bugs as an article of food. 

 In July, the month of greatest consumption, there were less than 1 

 percent. 



Lepidoptera (moths and caterpillars) amount to 2.5 percent. They 

 were eaten in every month, mainly in the caterpillar stage. May was 

 the month when the greatest number was eaten, nearly 10 percent. 

 The most interesting point, however, in connection with this item of 

 food is that 12 pupse of the codling moth were found distributed 

 through 8* stomachs. This is a most unexpected service from a bird 

 of the jay's habits, and it may be said that a little work of this kind 

 will cover a multitude of sins in other directions. 



Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) are eaten to the extent 

 of 4.5 percent. Most of them were taken in July, August, and Sep- 

 tember. As usual, August stands first, with a consumption of nearly 

 17 percent, and one stomach contained the remains of 41 individuals. 

 Melanoplus devastator was the only species identified. As the jay is, 

 to a great extent, an inhabitant of the woods, it was natural that its 

 stomach should contain quite a number of the brown wood cricket. 

 A mole cricket also was found in one stomach. Orthoptera were 

 found in 151 stomachs and formed the total food in one. When they 



