26 



BULLETIN 1249, I T . S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Poaceae — Continued. 



Chaetochloa viridis (green 



foxtail) 2 



Phleum pratense ( timothy )__ 1 

 Sporobolus as per (drop- 

 seed) 14 



Hordeum sp. (barley) 1 



.Triticum aestivum (wheat) 2 



Eleusine indica (goosegrass)- 3 



Cyperaceae. 



Scirpus sp. (bulrush) 



Car ex sp. (sedge) 



Fabaceae. 



Trifolium sp. (clover) 



Euphorbiaceae. 



Euphorbia sp 



Ambrosiaceae. 



Ambrosia elatior (ragweed). 



Animal Food. 



Carabidae (ground-beetles). 



Amara sp 2 



Platynus sp 1 



Anisodactylus sp 3 



Histeridae (shining carrion-bee- 

 tles. 



Hister sp 1 



Calandridae. 



Sphenophorus sp. (billbug)__ 1 



CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR (Calcarius ornatas). 21 



The chestnut-collared longspur breeds on the Plains from Kansas 

 north into southern Canada and winters from Nebraska south into 

 Mexico. 



Only 40 stomachs of this longspur were available for examination, 

 a number which is not large enough to furnish a basis for reliable 

 conclusions regarding the food. Of these, 7 were collected in Texas 

 in December, and the remaining 33 were taken in 6 States during the 

 months from May to September, inclusive. Animal matter formed 

 31.05 per cent of the content and vegetable matter 68.95 per cent. 



Coleoptera, chiefly leaf -beetles (Chrysomelidae) and weevils, had 

 been eaten to the extent of 6.97 per cent of the total; but crickets 

 and grasshoppers were the chief animal food, 13.08 per cent of the 

 entire diet being from this source. Bugs (Hemiptera) formed 4 

 per cent, caterpillars and adult moths 5.7 per cent, other insects 

 (largely ants) 0.93 per cent, and spiders 0.37 per cent of the total. 



Grass seeds formed over half the vegetable food (35.48 per cent 

 of the total) , 4.1 per cent of which was witchgrass (Panicum) and 

 the remainder a number of species in small quantities. A number 

 of Montana birds had eaten wheat, 15.33 per cent of the food being 

 from this source, while all other grains made 6.12 per cent of the 

 food. Weed seed, chiefly goosefoot (Chenopodium) and pigweed 

 (Amaranthus) , formed 8.85 per cent of the total; 0.5 per cent was 

 formed by unidentified seeds, and 2.67 per cent by vegetable debris. 



Food items of the clvestnut-collared longspur, identified to the genus or species, 

 as determined by the examination of JfO stomachs. 



[The figures indicate the number of stomachs in which the items were found.] 



Vegetable Food. 



Poaceae. 



Panicum capillare (witch- 

 grass) 7 



Panicum wilcoxianum (witch- 

 grass) 1 



Chaetochloa viridis (green 



foxtail) 2 



Stipa sp. (feathergrass) 1 



Spoivbolus asper (dropseed). 2 

 Triticum aestivum (wheat) __ 7 



Cyperaceae. 



Carex sp. (sedge) 1 



Chenopodiaceae. 



Chenopodium sp. (goose- 

 foot) 6 



Amaranthaceae. 



Amaranthus sp. (pigweed) 3 



Asteraceae. 



Hclianthus sp. (sunflower) _. 4 



■ The chestnut-collared and McCown longspurs, while breeding largely in the United 

 States, and ii. )i therefore winter visitants, arc treated in the present bulletin in order 

 thai the published account of the food of the longspurs mav be complete. 



