AUG 2 R 1901 
NOTES ON THE FOOD OF BIRDS 
BY T. U. A. COCKERELL. 
The time has not yet come for a full survey of the feeding- 
habits of New Mexico birds. Many more careful observa¬ 
tions must be made and many more stomachs examined, 
before w T e can say definitely what each bird eats during every 
season of the year. The present notes may serve simply to 
draw attention to the subject; and if the readers of this bul¬ 
letin will kindly make further observations in their several 
localities, and communicate them to us, the}/ will be highly 
appreciated, and carefully credited when used. 
The best information we have on the food of birds is con¬ 
tained in the publications of the Department of Agriculture. 
Dr. C. H. Merriam and his colleagues, of the Biological 
Survey, have collected a very large body of facts, and are 
still actively engaged in the investigation. The following 
publications of the Biological Survey are obtainable from the 
Department of Agriculture and are especially to be com¬ 
mended as giving full and exact information in a readable 
form: 
P. E. L. Beal — Some common birds in their relation to 
Agriculture. 
[§ T. S. Palmer — Legislation for the protection of birds, 
other than game birds. 
W. B. Barrows and E. A. Schwarz — The Common Crow of 
the United States. 
T. S. Palmer — A review of Economic Ornithology in the 
United States. (Yearbook for 1899). 
F. E. L. Beal — Preliminary report on the food of Wood¬ 
peckers. 
P. E. L. Beal and S. D. Judd — Cuckoos and Shrikes in 
their relation to Agriculture. 
P. E. L. Beal — Pood of the Bobolink, Blackbirds and 
G rackles. 
W. B. Barrows — The English Sparrow in North America. 
All things considered, there cannot be the least doubt 
