A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
6u 
gether with all of our brilliantly plumed birds, it has been per- 
secuted almost out of existence. Now that this bird slaughter 
is against the law in all communities that pretend to be 
civilized, the killing is at least abated, but the Tanager’s con- 
fidence in humanity has not yet returned. 
One good thing about this Tanager is that if you do see 
him you will know him at once, for he is our only scarlet 
bird. 
WEED WARRIORS 
THE SPARROWS 
Sparrows are not obtrusive birds, either in plumage, song, 
or action. There are some forty species, with nearly as many 
sub-species, in North America, but their differences, both in 
plumage and habits, are in most cases too obscure to be readily 
recognized, and not more than half a dozen forms are generally 
known in any one locality. All the species are more or less 
migratory, but so widely are they distributed that there is 
probably no part of the country where some can not be found 
throughout the year. 
While Sparrows are noted seed eaters, they do not by any 
means confine themselves to a vegetable diet. During the 
summer, and especially in the breeding season, they eat many 
insects, and probably feed their young largely upon the same 
food. An examination of the stomachs of three species — 
the Song Sparrow ( Melospiza ), Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella 
socialis), and Field Sparrow ( Spizella pusilla) — shows that 
about one-third of the food consists of insects, comprising 
many injurious beetles, such as snout-beetles or weevils, and 
leaf-beetles. Many grasshoppers are eaten, and in the case 
of the Chipping Sparrow these insects form one-eighth of the 
food. Grasshoppers would seem to be rather large morsels, 
but the bird probably confines itself to the smaller species ; in- 
deed, this is indicated by the fact that the greatest amount 
(over 36 per cent.) is eaten in June, when the larger species 
are still young and the small species most numerous. Besides 
the insects already mentioned, many wasps and bugs are taken. 
Predaceous and parasitic Hymenoptera and predaceous beetles, 
all useful insects, are eaten only to a slight extent, so that as a 
whole the Sparrow's insect diet may be considered beneficial. 
Their vegetable food is limited almost exclusively to hard 
