204 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
time of year is largely wild fruit. Over 99 percent of the food contained in the 
stomachs of six birds taken near the huckleberries, was made up of this fruit. 
Cliff swallows {Petrochelidon hiui/7'ons) were usually seen circling high in 
the air although on two occasions a number were seen perched on telegraph wires. 
These birds were carefully watched, but they did not seem to be feeding on the 
numerous butterflies about them. They certainly could have been seen to take 
butterflies if these’[had been chosen for food. A very few western barn swallows 
Kllimndo erythrogasi^'a) were seen, but these too, seemed to be intent on catch- 
ing some smaller insect. No stomachs are at hand for examination. 
Mountain quail { Oi'eortyx picta phimifo'a) very abundant in the brush. 
A flock was closely watched, but the birds appeared to be searching among the 
leaves under the brush for their food. As the mountain quail is largely a vegeta- 
rian, it probably bore no relation to the butterflies. 
The stomachs of three mourning doves {Zcnaidura macron ra carol inensis) 
contained nothing but weed seeds. 
One stomach of each of the following birds was also examined: belted king- 
fisher {Ccrylc alcyon) , western evening grosbeak {Hesperiphoua vespertina 
mouiana) , Cassin purple finch i^Carpodaciis cassini) , Sierra junco (Jiiiico hyemalis 
thnrberi), and western house wren ( Troglodytes aedon parkrnani) . There was 
no evidence that these birds fed on the butterflies. Judging from its food habits,- 
it .seems probable that the wren woidd be one of the birds to feed on the pupae. 
The Calaveras warbler {^Vermivora ruhricapilla gntturalis) , another common 
bird of the brush, probabh" ranks with the w'estern house wren in this regard. 
Chickens and ducks seemed to appreciate the unlimited supply of butterflies, 
for they were seen catching them from early morning till late in the evening. In 
the vicinity of Sisson, at least, the domestic birds, on account of their capacity 
and numbers, by destroying butterflies performed a service nearly as great as all 
the wdld species put together. 
The following table gives a summary of the contents of the stomachs of birds 
taken during August, and the number of stomachs of each species examined. 
Number 
Percent 
Percent of 
Percent 
N.'iME OF SPECIES 
of 
of Ani- 
A’eg-etable 
of 
Stomachs 
mal Food 
Food 
Butterflies 
Mourning clove (Zenaidiira niacroura carolinensis) 
3 
100.0 
Belted kingfisher {Ceryle alcyon) 
1 
100.0 
White-headed woodpecker (Xeiiopicus albolarvaiiis) 
2 
11.5 
88.5 
Red-shafted flicker {Colaptes caper collaris) 
1 
19.0 
81.0 
Say phoehe (Sayornis say us) 
1 
100.0 
25.0 
Western flycatclier {Empidonax difficilis) 
2 
100.0 
Blue-fronted jay (Cyauocitta stelleri frofitalis) 
2 
74.0 
26.0 
30.0 
Red-winged Blackbird {Agelaius phoeniceus^'&wh^^d ) 
13 
6.7 
93.3 
Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) 
5 
85.4 
14.6 
15.2 
Bullock oriole {Icterus bullocki) 
4 
17.5 
82.5 
Brewer blackbird {Euphagus cyanocephalus) 
3 
83.3 
16.7 
61.0 
Western evening grosbeak {Hesperiphoua vespertina 
m on tan a) 
1 
74.0 
26.0 
Cassin purple finch (Carpodacus cassini) 
1 
100.0 
Brewer sparrow (Spizella breweri) 
3 
47.7 
,52.3 
Sierra junco {/unco hyemalis thurberi) 
1 
100.0 
Mountain song sparrow {Melospiza melodia montana) 
1 
100.0 
Thick-billed fox “ (Passerella iliaca megarhyncha) 
2 
4.0 
96.0 
Green-tailed towhee {Oreospiza chlorura) 
2 
71.0 
29.0 
Western house wren {Troglodytes aedon parkmani) 
1 
100.0 
Western robin {Planesticus migratorius propinquus) 
10 
13.7 
87.3 
Western bluebird mexicana occidentalis) 
2 
86.5 
13.5 
Total number of stomachs 
61 
Average percent of butterflies taken by four birds 
.. 32.8 
.•\verage percent of liutterflies taken by all birds. 
. . 6. 2 
