GROSBEAKS. 67 



as breeding at Clinton (rare) and near Newport. I found it fairly 

 common at Pettigrew, but did not observe any in the mountains 

 south of the Arkansas River. It has been noted in migration at 

 Lake City, Helena, Hardy, Benton, and Turrell. At Delight the 

 first fall migrant was seen October 8. In winter it has been recorded 

 as common at Fayette ville x and at Stuttgart (Hollister). At Van 

 Buren, on December 28, 8 birds were seen and one secured by Hanna. 

 This bird is a ground dweller and seeks its food mainly by scratching 

 among fallen leaves and rubbish in the woods or thickets. It destroys 

 beetles and their larvae, ants, moths, caterpillars, grasshoppers, 

 flies, and earthworms; it takes also a considerable amount of weed 

 seed and some wild fruits and berries. 



Cardinal Grosbeak. Cardinalis cardinalis. 



The cardinal, or redbird, as it is often called, is one of the com- 

 monest and most widely distributed birds of the State. It is most 

 abundant, however, in the river-bottom thickets and in the lowlands 

 generally. I observed none on Rich Mountain and only a few in 

 the hills around Pettigrew, but at all other places visited it was 

 very common. 



The species is nonmigratory and is fully as abundant in winter 

 as in summer. It has been recorded from a large number of locali- 

 ties in the State, including the following: Fayetteville, Van Buren, 

 Mena, Camden, Wilmot, Stuttgart, Conway, Lake Cit}^ and Mam- 

 moth Spring. The food of the cardinal consists of weed seeds, 

 seeds of wild fruits, and various insects, the latter forming about 

 one- third of the total. The insects eaten include a number of serious 

 pests, such as the Rocky Mountain locust, Colorado potato beetle, 

 cotton-leaf worm, bollworm, boll weevil, and codling moth. 



Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Zamelodia ludoviciana. 



This grosbeak, as far as our records show, occurs only as a migrant, 

 but since it has been found breeding as far south as Lawrence County, 

 Mo., 2 it may yet be discovered in Arkansas in summer. The bird 

 has been noted by Mrs. Stephenson at Helena between April 27 and 

 May 10, but is considered rare in that locality. Six individuals 

 were seen at Clinton May 3, 1890. In the fall it may be looked for 

 in September and October. 



Blue Grosbeak. Guiraca cserulea. 



The blue grosbeak is a fairly common summer resident in southern 

 and southwestern Missouri as well as in Texas and Oklahoma. We 

 should therefore expect to find it more or less common in Arkansas, 

 but I did not observe the bird at any point visited, except at Mam- 



i Cooke, Orn. and Ool., VIII, p. 34, 1883. 



2 Widmann, O., Birds of Missouri, p. 195, 1907, 



