VESPER SPARROW (Pooecetes gramineus 



and sub-species). 



Length, about 6 inches. Its white tipped outer 

 tail feathers distinguish this individual from its 

 brown liveried fellows. 



Range: Breeds from southern Canada south to 

 Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia and 

 North Carolina; winters from southern California, 

 Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, south to the 

 Gulf coast and southern Mexico. 



There is little about this brown streaked sparrow 

 to attract attention and, until it flies and displays 

 the white tipped tail feathers, you might mistake the 

 bird for any one of a half dozen of the sparrow family. 

 Indeed if one catches merely a glimpse of a vesper 

 sparrow crouched low and running swiftly through 

 the grass one may be forgiven for mistaking the bird 

 for a mouse. It frequents open pastures and when 

 singing likes to mount a rocky boulder so common 

 in New England and other parts of the east. We 

 are perhaps justified in calling its song its most not- 

 able characteristic. Though not a pretentious 

 effort the voice of the vesper sparrow is sweet and 

 plaintive beyond expression, and harmonizes with 

 the dying day as does the song of no other bird. 



Prof. Beal records the fact that in winter the food 

 of this sparrow consists wholly of vegetable matter, 

 while in summer it consists of little else than insects. 

 The vesper sparrow cares less for grass seed than 

 any other of its fellows but consumes great quantities 

 of weed seeds. It eats also large numbers of grass- 

 hoppers, caterpillars and weevils. A number of 

 these sparrows taken in Utah where the newly 

 imported alfalfa weevil is doing much damage were 

 found to have eaten these weevils to the average 

 extent of more than half their food. Thus the value 

 of this bird to the farmer cannot be questioned. 



BLUE GROSBEAK (Guiraca ccsrulea and sub- 

 species). 



Length, about 7 inches. Distinguished by its 

 larger size from the inaigo bird which alone resem- 

 bles it. 



Range: Breeds in the southern United States 

 north to northern California, Colorado, Nebraska, 

 southern Illinois and Maryland and south to southern 

 Mexico; winters in Mexico and Central America. 



One seldom sees the blue grosbeak at short range 

 or under circumstances which make identification 

 easy, as the bird is rather shy and frequents brushy 

 thickets and viny tangles much as does the indigo 

 bird. The low warbling song of this grosbeak may 

 be compared with that of the purple finch but it is 

 neither so loud nor so well sustained. Under the 

 name of "blue pap" the grosbeak used to be a 

 favorite cage bird in Louisiana and other southern 

 states, and no doubt is so today, despite protective 

 laws. In the matter of diet it shows a marked pref- 

 erence for insect food over vegetable, the propor- 

 tion being about 67 to 33 per cent. The vegetable 

 matter includes many weed seeds, as foxtail and 

 bindweed, also corn, the taking of which makes a 

 black mark against its record. As, however, the 

 bird consumes twice as much animal matter as 

 vegetable, the balance is much in its favor and it 

 accordingly earns protection as well by its economic 

 service as by its beauty and song. 



CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis and 



sub-species). 



Lengtn, about 8| inches. Its size, crest and bright 

 red color serve for instant identification. 



Range: Southern United States generally, west 

 to Texas and southern Arizona, north to lower 

 Hudson, northern Ohio, northern Indiana, southern 

 Iowa and southeastern South Dakota; resident. 



Tiie cardinal is a notable bird and any locality 

 he chooses for his residence must be considered 

 highly favored. His bright colors, trim form and 

 erectile crest, his clear whistling call, and his fine 

 song are all to his credit. He is a resident of thickets 

 and tangled undergrowth with hanging vines, and, 

 when these are provided and he feels safe from the 

 prowling cat and marauding hawk, he will take up 

 his abode in your garden or back yard as readily as 

 anywhere else. Favor him further by supplying 

 him food and water in winter and you make him your 

 friend indeed. Practically he is a resident wherever 

 found and the sight of his flasliing red suit amidst 

 snow covered bushes is a memorable picture. The 

 cardinal used to be a favorite cage bird in the South- 

 ern States and the business of trapping him for 

 market, especially about the large southern cities, 

 was common. The bird is now protected by law 

 as it should be, and the sight of a cardinal behind 

 prison bars has become rare indeed. How many 

 thousands were sacrificed for hat gear we shall never 

 know but happily this practice too is fast disappear- 

 ing. 



By preference the cardinal is a vegetarian, and 

 about seven-tenths of its food consists of vegetable 

 matter in the form of seeds, berries, etc. But it 

 also eats many insects, potato beetles, cotton worms, 

 boll worms, cotton-boll weevils, codling moths and 

 many other scarcely less note worthy. Mr. McAtee 

 in attempting to sum up all the economic facts, 

 declares that the bird does at least fifteen times as 

 much good as harm, which is a record to be proud of. 



CALIFORNIA QUAIL (Lophortyx californica 



and varieties). 



Length, about 9^ inches. Distinguished from 

 Gambels' quail by the reddish instead of black belly. 



Range: Resident in the Pacific Coast region from 

 soiithwestern Oregon and western Nevada through 

 California and Lower California. 



The California quail is one of our most beautiful 

 game birds and the sight of a large covey running 

 daintily along, with crests nodding and fine plumage 

 gleaming in the sun is a sight to remember. Before 

 quail were so much persecuted, covieswere common 

 in the gardens of Oakland and other California 

 towns, seemingly as much at home among calla 

 lilies and rosebushes as in the stubble field. The 

 numerous families in the fall associate in bands of 

 three or four hundred, or even more. The Cali- 

 fornia quail has learned one lesson never acquired by 

 our bob-white — to roost in trees and bushes instead 

 of on the ground, and no doubt the safety thus ob- 

 tained during the hours of darkness is one reason for 

 its great abundance. 



This quail is the greatest vegetarian of any of our 

 game birds, the vegetable food eaten by over 600 

 individuals examined amounting to 95 per cent of the 

 total food consumed. Unfortunately the California 

 quail consumes much grain when germinating and 

 thus damages the growing crop; it also attacks 

 grapes and, while it does not eat a great many, it 

 seriously damages bunches by puncturing a few 

 grapes here and there, so ruining the fruit for market. 



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