BIRDS IN RELATION TO THE ALFALFA WEEVIL. 55 
To the number of weevils destroyed by the young we must add 
those eaten by the adult birds during this time. As four nestlings 
appear to be a fair average for a brood, there would be one-half as 
many adults as young; and although the food of old birds was only 
about 18 per cent weevils during May, June, and July, it amounts 
to a considerable quantity in the period that they have young in the 
nest to feed. 
While the writer does not wish to have too great emphasis placed 
upon such somewhat theoretical deductions, at least they serve to 
show, with a fair degree of certainty, what might be expected of such 
a colony under favorable circumstances. 
ADULT ENGLISH SPARROWS. 
Careful observation shows that adult sparrows are frequent visitors 
to alfalfa fields. Their visits are most often when there are young 
to be fed, and at such times the parent birds consume much the same 
kind of food as their progeny, especially the adult weevil. Fields 
nearest barnyards, where these birds nest, are benefited most, but 
numerous cases were observed where the adult birds were traveling 
considerably over 100 yards to secure the desired food. Wherever 
these birds nested in large numbers a more or less regular stream of 
adult sparrows was observed flying to and from the badly infested 
portion of some near-by alfalfa field. 
In the two seasons' work 104 stomachs of adult English sparrows 
were collected, 14 in April, 67 in May, 20 in July, and 3 in August. 
April. — But few adult English sparrows were found in alfalfa 
fields this early in the season. Breeding and nest building were 
occupying their time, and they were seldom seen far from farm 
buildings, where they found ample food in horse droppings and 
chicken feed. 
Weevils (adults in every case) occurred in 6 of the 14 stomachs 
and amounted to a little over 1 per cent of the contents. As the 
entire animal food amounted to but 2.57 per cent, the weevil formed 
almost half of it. In every case save one, only a single insect was 
taken, and in that instance two adult weevils composed 10 per cent 
of the contents. 
The other animal food consisted entirely of dung beetles (Apho- 
dius). Seeds of such plants as pigweed (Chenopodium) , amaranth 
(Amarantlius retro flexus), and filaree (Er odium cicrutarium) made 
up 3 per cent, while the remainder was grain, mostly wheat. 
As these birds were collected in April, 1912, when very inclement 
weather prevailed, the food was confined almost entirely to that 
secured about the barnyard. 
May. — The 63 birds taken in May indicate a beginning of the sea- 
son's work on the alfalfa weevil. Forty-six had feed on the insect, 
