58 THE RELATION OF 8PABROWS TO AGRICULTURE. 
unusually prominent, particularly in summer. In July, when Insects 
are abundant, the vegetable food declines to a tenth of the total 
food. Shortly after tin- beginning of August, however, ii begins to 
rise steadily, until by winter i1 forms the entire fare. According to 
Dr. W'ancn, it includes, besides seeds, such fruits as mulberries, 
blackberries, and strawberries, and the buds of beech, maple, and 
apple;' hul the examination of stomachs in the laboratory of the 
Biological Survey has as yet failed to disclose any other vegetable 
food than seeds. These seeds belong to the usual three groups, grain 
(11 percent), grass seed (16 percent), and weed seed (42 percent). 
Grain was found in 15 stomachs, of which 14 contained oats, the other 
wheat. Much of the grain was undoubtedly gleaned from stubble- 
iields. and it is probable Dial pari of the oats had been taken from 
horse droppings, as this sparrow frequents roadsides. Several of the 
birds whose stomaehs contained oats were collected on highways. 
The maximum amount of grain, 20 percent, was procured from oal 
stubble in August. Four stomachs collected near oat stubble at 
Dry (reek. Montana, contained little else than oats. Oats were also 
conspicuous in stomachs of birds collected from stubble-fields at 
Escondido, Cal., during November and December. Some little dam- 
age may be caused to grain at harvest or sowing time, but thus far no 
complaints againsl this sparrow have been received by the Depart- 
ment- of Agriculture. 
The vesper sparrow is less partial to grass seed than many other 
species of sparrows, but agrees closely with them in the kinds selected. 
Pigeon-grass and crab-grass are eaten, and, to a slight extent, timo- 
thy and paspalum. '\ no quantity of grass seed consumed being com- 
paratively small, that of weed seed, which includes the seeds of rag- 
weed, amaranth, lamb's-quarters, wild sunflowers, polygonums, and 
purslane, is correspondingly large. Ragweed and various polygo- 
nums alone furnish L6 percent of the food, which equals the per- 
centage of all the various kinds of grass seeds combined. Amaranth 
and lamb's-quarters are, apparently, not relished as greatly as purs- 
lane and wild sunflower, to which the bird seems to be extremely par- 
tial. Although the vesper sparrow is not found as far from cover as 
the snowllake and the longspur. yet it feeds farther out in the field 
than most sparrows, ami thus accomplishes more valuable service as 
a weed destroyer than many that U'r^ to an equal extent on weed 
seed. This same characteristic increases 1 he efficiency ol this highly 
in seel ivorous sparrow as a consumer ol' grasshoppers, caterpillars, and 
weevils, [ts value to the farmer is beyond question and should secure 
for it the fullesl | not eel ion. 
Birds of Pennsylvania, revised ed., p. 284; 1890, 
