Yew berries (Taxus minor)1Pigeon grass seed (Chætochloasp.)1Rush grass seed (Sporobolus minor)1False Solomon's seal (Smilacinasp.)1Greenbrier berries (Smilaxsp.)2Hackberries (Celtis occidentalis)1Poke berries (Phytolacca decandra)3Spice berries (Benzoin æstivale)2Service berries (Amelanchier canadensis)3June berries (Amelanchiersp.)9Mountain ash (Pyrus americana)1Crab apples (Pyrussp.)1Strawberries (Fragariasp.)3Blackberries or raspberries (Rubussp.)8Wild black cherries (Prunus serotina)1Bird cherries (Prunus pennsylvanica)1Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana)1Staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta)2Dwarf sumac (Rhus copallina)1Three-leaved sumac (Rhus trilobata)1Other sumac (Rhussp.)1American holly (Ilex opaca)1Woodbine berries (Psedera quinquefolia)1White cornel (Cornus candidissima)2Alternate-leaved cornel (Cornus alternifolia)3Rough-leaved cornel (Cornus asperifolia)1Dogwood berries (Cornussp.)2Sour gum berries (Nyssa sylvatica)1Huckleberries (Gaylussaciasp.)1Blueberries (Vacciniumsp.)4Snowberries (Symphoricarpos racemosus)2Black elderberries (Sambucus canadensis)2Red elderberries (Sambucus pubens)4Other elderberries (Sambucussp.)3Fruit pulp not further identified4
Summary.—It is hardly necessary to make a summary of the food of this bird in order to bring out its good points, for it seems to have no others. The animal food includes less than 1 per cent of useful beetles, and the remainder is either harmful or neutral. In the matter of vegetable food there seems to be no chance for criticism, as nature evidently supplies all it needs. The bird has never been harmed, but has been held in high esteem for sentimental reasons; let it also be valued and protected for its economic worth.
GRAY-CHEEKED AND BICKNELL'S THRUSHES.
(Hylocichla aliciæ aliciæandHylocichla aliciæ bicknelli.)
The gray-cheeked thrush (H. a. aliciæ) is found in migration over all the Eastern States, but breeds farther north, beyond our limits. Bicknell's thrush (H. a. bicknelli), a closely related form, while having somewhat the same general range, breeds farther south and nests in the mountains of northern New York and New England. Both subspecies have the same general habits as other forms of the genus so far as haunts and choice of residence are concerned, but their far-northern range excludes them from coming into contact with cultivated crops. The species does not seem to be veryabundant anywhere, and consequently only a few stomachs have been received for examination. In all they number but 111 and are very irregularly distributed in time. None were taken in August and only one in July and two in June. From so scanty and unevenly distributed material it is impossible to draw final conclusions, but we can get some idea as to the nature of the bird's food and its economic importance.
The first analysis of the food gives 74.86 per cent of animal matter to 25.14 per cent of vegetable. This is the most animal food found in the stomachs of any bird of the genusHylocichlaand the largest but two of any of the thrushes.
Animal food.—Beetles collectively amount to about one-third of all the food (33.32 per cent). Of these, 2.83 per cent are the useful Carabidæ. The rest belong to harmful families, such as the Scarabæidæ, Elateridæ, and the weevils, or snout beetles. Ants amount to 16.34 per cent and are eaten very regularly—the most in the early part of the season. Hymenoptera other than ants, as wasps and bees, were eaten to the extent of 5.60 per cent, and with the ants make 21.94 per cent, placing this food next in rank to beetles. As in the case of ants, most of the bees and wasps were eaten in the first three months of the season. No honey bees were found. Lepidoptera (caterpillars) were third in order of abundance (8.81 per cent). No special pest was discovered, but all caterpillars may be considered as harmful. A few grasshoppers were found in the stomachs taken in April and May, and more in those collected in September and October. They do not appear to be a favorite food and amount to only 1.72 per cent. Other insects, as flies, bugs, and a few others, collectively amount to 2.89 per cent. Among these, it is of interest to note in one stomach the remains of the famous seventeen-year locust (Tibicen septemdecem), rather large game for so small a bird. Spiders are freely eaten by the gray-cheeked thrush in spring, and sparingly in fall. For the season they constitute 5.77 per cent of the food. A few other animals, as crawfish, sowbugs, and angleworms (0.41 per cent), complete the animal food.
Following is a list of the insects identified and the number of stomachs in which found:
HYMENOPTERA.Lophyrussp1Aphænogaster tennesseense1COLEOPTERA.Cychrus andrewsi2Cychrussp2Dyschirius hispidus1Hister sedecimstriatus1Phelister vernus1Epuræa rufa3Stelidota 8-maculata1Byrrhus murinus1Eucinetus morio1Monocrepidius vespertinus1Agriotes limosus1Corymbites signaticollis1Podabrus flavicollis1Telephorus bilineatus1Onthophagussp1Atænius strigatus1Atænius ovatulus1Atæniussp3Aphodius ruricola1Aphodius inquinatus3Aphodiussp1Sericasp1Lachnosternasp10Anomalasp1Leptura sphæricollis1Leptura mutabilis1Chrysomela pulchra4Blapstinus metallicus1Helops micans1Hormorus undulatus1Otiorhynchus ovatus1Cercopeus chrysorrhœus2Pandeletejus hilaris1Sitonessp1Hylobius pales1Desmoris constrictus1Bagous sellatus1Anthonomus sycophanta1Conotrachelus posticatus2Acalles clavatus1Acallessp1Cryptorhynchus ferratus1Sphenophorus melanocephalus1HEMIPTERA.Tibicen septendecem1Nezara hilaris1
Vegetable food.—A fewRubusseeds were recorded as cultivated fruit, but they were found in only two stomachs and probably were wild, as the gray-cheeked thrush does not live where it is likely to come in contact with cultivated blackberries or raspberries. In any case they amount to only 0.15 per cent. Wild fruits of 18 different species (23.98 per cent) make up nearly one-fourth of the whole food—in fact, the vegetable food, other than wild fruit, is insignificant. Wild berries supplement the regular food, which consists of insects and spiders.
The following list shows the fruits and seeds identified and the number of stomachs in which found:
False spikenard (Smilacina racemosa)1Greenbrier berries (Smilaxsp.)2Bayberries (Myrica carolinensis)1Poke berries (Phytolacca decandra)2Crab apples (Pyrussp.)1Wild black cherries (Prunus serotina)5Blackberries or raspberries (Rubussp.)2Sumac berries (Rhussp.)1Black-alder berries (Ilex verticillata)1Wild grapes (Vitissp.)5Wild sarsaparilla (Araliasp.)1Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)5Rough-leaved dogwood (Cornus asperifolia)2White cornel (Cornus candidissima)1Dogwood (Cornussp.)1Sour gum (Nyssa sylvatica)2Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)1Dockmackie (Viburnum acerifolium)1Arrowwood (Viburnumsp.)1Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis)3Fruit not further identified6
Summary.—In the food of the gray-cheeked thrush the only useful element is a small percentage (2.83) of useful beetles. The remainder of the animal food is composed of either harmful or neutral elements. The vegetable food, drawn entirely from nature's great storehouse, contains no product of human industry, either of grain or fruit. Whatever the sentimental reasons for protecting this bird, the economic ones are equally valid.
OLIVE-BACKED AND RUSSET-BACKED THRUSHES.
(Hylocichla ustulata swainsoniandHylocichla ustulata ustulata.)
The olive-backed thrush and its relative, the russet-backed, occupy the whole of the United States at some time during the year. The olive-back breeds north of our northern border, except in the higher mountains, and the russet-back on the Pacific coast nests as farsouth as southern California. The habits of birds of this species resemble those of others of the genus in living in swamps and woodlands rather than in gardens and orchards. The russet-back on the Pacific coast, however, seems to have become quite domestic, and wherever a stream runs through or past an orchard or garden, or the orchard is near thick chaparral, this bird is sure to be found taking its toll of the fruit and rearing its young in the thicket beside the stream. During the cherry season it takes a liberal share of the fruit, but its young, then in the nest, are fed almost entirely on insects. The eastern subspecies, on the contrary, does not come in contact with domestic fruit or any other product of husbandry. A great number of the subspecies nest far north of the region of fruit raising.
For this investigation 403 stomachs of the olive-backed thrush were available, collected in 25 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Florida, Louisiana, and Texas represent the most southern collections and New Brunswick, Ontario, and Northwest Territory the most northern. In California 157 stomachs were obtained, which, with those taken in Oregon and Washington, fairly represent the Pacific coast region. The whole collection was fairly well distributed over the nine months from March to November. The food consisted of 63.52 per cent of animal matter to 36.48 per cent of vegetable.
Animal food.—Beetles of all kinds amount to 16.29 per cent. Of these 3.14 per cent are the useful Carabidæ. The others belong to harmful or neutral families. Weevils or snout-beetles (Rhynchophora) amount to 5.29 per cent, a high percentage for such insects. One Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) was found in a stomach taken on Long Island. Hymenoptera collectively aggregate 21.50 per cent. Of these, 15.20 per cent are ants—a favorite food ofHylocichla. The remainder (6.30 per cent) were wild bees and wasps. No honeybees were found. Caterpillars, which rank next in importance in the food of the olive-back, form a good percentage of the food of every month represented and aggregate 10.30 per cent for the season.
Grasshoppers are not an important element in the food of thrushes, as they chiefly inhabit open areas, whileHylocichlaprefers thick damp cover, where grasshoppers are not found. An inspection of the record shows that most of the orthopterous food taken by the olive-back consists of crickets, whose habits are widely different from those of grasshoppers, and which are found under stones, old logs, or dead herbage. The greatest quantity is taken in August and September. The average for the season is 2.42 per cent.
Diptera (flies) reach the rather surprisingly large figure of 6.23 per cent. These insects are usually not eaten to any great extentexcept by flycatchers and swallows, which take their food upon the wing. The flies eaten by the olive-back are mostly crane flies (Tipulidæ) or March flies (Bibio), both in the adult and larval state. Crane flies are slow of wing and frequent shady places. The larvæ of both groups are developed in moist ground, and often in colonies of several hundred. With these habits it is not surprising that they fall an easy prey to the thrushes.
Hemiptera (bugs), a small but rather constant element of the food, were found in the stomachs collected every month, and in July reach 11.11 per cent. They were of the families of stinkbugs (Pentatomidæ), shield bugs (Scutelleridæ), tree hoppers (Membracidæ), leaf hoppers (Jassidæ), and cicadas. Some scales were found in one stomach. The total for the season is 3.76 per cent. A few insects not included in any of the foregoing categories make up 0.48 per cent of the food. Spiders, with a few millipeds, amount to 2.22 per cent, the lowest figure for this item of any bird of the genusHylocichla. Snails, sowbugs, angleworms, etc. (0.32 per cent), complete the animal food.
Following is a list of insects identified and the number of stomachs in which found:
HYMENOPTERA.Camponotus pennsylvanicus1Tiphia inornata1COLEOPTERA.Cychrus nitidicollis1Cychrus stenostomus1Notiophilus æneus1Pterostichus sayi1Pterotichus lustrans1Amara interstitialis1Triæna longula1Agonoderus pallipes1Silpha ramosa1Staphylinus cinnamopterus1Tachyporus californicus1Chilocorus orbus1Scymnussp1Hister americanus1Ips quadriguttatus4Cytilus sericeus1Agriotes stabilis1Podabrus flavicollis2Podabrus modestus2Silis lutea1Telephorus carolinus1Telephorus bilineatus5Telephorus divisus2Onthophagus hecate1Onthophagus striatulus1Onthophagus tuberculifrons2Onthophagussp4Atænius abditus1Aphodius hamatus1Aphodius fimetarius6Aphodius inquinatus7Aphodiussp6Geotrupessp1Dichelonycha elongata2Lachnosterna hirticula1Lachnosternasp12Anomala undulata1Anomalasp1Euphoria fulgida1Donacia emarginata1Hæmonia nigricornis1Syneta pallida1Leptinotarsa decemlineata1Gastroideasp1Galerucella decora1Diabrotica soror1Diabroticasp1Gonioctena pallida1Luperodes bivittatus1Opatrinus notus1Blapstinus metallicus1Blapstinus mæstus1Blapstinussp1Otiorhynchus ovatus1Thinoxenussp1Cercopeus chrysorrhæus1Barypithes pellucidus1Sitones flavescens1Sitonessp1Phytonomus punctatus2Pachylobius picivorus1Conotrachelus posticatus1Micromastus elegans1Acalles clavatus1Cryptorhynchus bisignatus1Rhinoncus pyrrhopus1Balaninussp3Sphenophorus parvulus1Sphenophorussp1Scolytus muticus1LEPIDOPTERA.Edema albifrons1TRICHOPTERA.Phryganea californica1HEMIPTERA.Myodocha serripes1Sinea diadema1
This list of insects contains a considerable number of injurious species and some that at various times and places have become decided pests. Such are the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), the spotted squash beetle (Diabrotica soror), the cloverleaf weevil (Phytonomus punctatus), and the various species ofLachnosterna, the parent of the destructive white grubs. Many others are plant feeders and may increase to such an extent as to inflict great damage upon agriculture.
Vegetable food.—The vegetable food of the olive-backed thrush consists of small fruit. The bird has a weak bill and can not break through the tough skin of the larger kinds. In the cherry orchards of California the writer many times observed the western subspecies of this bird, the russet-back, on the ground pecking at cherries that had been bitten open and dropped by linnets and grosbeaks. Blackberries and raspberries have a very delicate skin and are successfully managed by weak-billed birds, so that all the records of domestic fruit eaten by the eastern form relate to these berries, and it is probable that in most cases the fruit was not cultivated. The total of cultivated fruit for the season is 12.63 per cent of the whole food, but if we consider the eastern subspecies alone this item would practically disappear. Wild fruit (19.73 per cent) is eaten regularly and in a goodly quantity in every month after April. Weed seeds and a few miscellaneous items of vegetable food (4.04 per cent) close the account.
Following is a list of vegetable foods so far as identified and the number of stomachs in which found.
White cedar seeds (Thuja occidentalis)1Red cedar berries (Juniperus communis)2False Solomon's seal (Smilacina trifolia)3Greenbrier (Smilax tamnifolia)1Cat brier (Smilaxsp.)1Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)3Mulberry (Morussp.)2Fig (Ficussp.)3Pale persicaria (Polygonum lapathifolium)1Poke berries (Phytolacca decandra)9Mountain ash (Pyrus americana)1Service berries (Amelanchiersp.)1Blackberries or raspberries (Rubussp.)67Rose haws (Rosasp.)1Wild black cherries (Prunus serotina)15Bird cherries (Prunus Pennsylvanica)2Domestic cherries (Prunus cerasus)29Domestic plum (Prunus domestica)2Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)3Filaree (Erodiumsp.)1Poison oak (Rhus diversiloba)4Staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta)2Dwarf sumac (Rhus copallina)3Other sumac (Rhussp.)4Pepper tree (Schinus molle)1American holly (Ilex opaca)1Black alder (Ilex verticillata)1Coffee berries (Rhamnus californicus)3Woodbine (Psedera quinquefolia)10Frost grape (Vitis cordifolia)6Spikenard (Aralia racemosa)2Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)7Kinnikinnik (Cornus amomum)2Red osier (Cornus stolonifera)1Panicled cornel (Cornus paniculata)3Dogwood unidentified (Cornussp.)6Huckleberries (Gaylussaciasp.)1Three-flowered nightshade (Solanum triflorum)1Nightshade unidentified (Solanumsp.)8Black twinberries (Lonicera involucrata)2Honeysuckle berries (Lonicerasp.)2Snowberries (Symphoricarpos racemosus)2Dockmackie (Viburnum acerifolium)1Arrowwood (Viburnumsp.)1Black elderberries (Sambucus canadensis)6Red elderberries (Sambucus pubens)5Blue elderberries (Sambucus glauca)15Tarweed (Madiasp.)1Fruit pulp not further identified17
Food of young of russet-backed thrush.—Before concluding the discussion of this species it will be of interest to note the results obtained from an investigation of stomachs of 25 nestlings of the russet-back taken in June and July when the birds were from two to eleven days old. These were from eight broods, ranging from three to five nestlings to the brood. The percentage of animal food of the young (92.60 per cent) is considerably higher than that of the parent birds.
The distribution of the animal food is as follows: Caterpillars were found in every stomach but seven and aggregated nearly 27 per cent; beetles, including the useful Carabidæ (7.7 per cent), are irregularly distributed to the extent of 22 per cent; other more or less harmful species included five families of (Hemiptera) bugs, 13.8 per cent, viz, stinkbugs, leaf hoppers, tree hoppers, shield bugs, and cicadas; ants and a few other Hymenoptera amount to 12 per cent, and spiders the same. These latter were mostly harvestmen or daddy longlegs (Phalangidæ). The remainder (6 per cent) included a few miscellaneous insects. Only three stomachs contained remains of grasshoppers. Carabid beetles were eaten by the young birds to the extent of 7.7 per cent, which is more than three times the amount eaten by the adults, a remarkable fact when is considered that these insects are very hard shelled, thus seemingly unsuited for young birds.
The vegetable food consisted of fruit (6.8 per cent), mainly blackberries or raspberries, found in 11 stomachs, and twinberries in 1, and two or three other items, including a seed of filaree and some rubbish. From the irregular variety of food in the different stomachs, it would seem that the parents make little selection, but fill the gaping mouths of their young with the nearest obtainable supply.
In addition to the examination of stomach contents of nestlings two nests were carefully and regularly watched, and from these it was determined that the parent birds fed each nestling 48 times in 14 hours of daylight. This means 144 feedings as a day's work for the parents for a brood of three nestlings, and that each stomach was filled to its full capacity several times daily, an illustration that the digestion and assimilation of birds, especially the young, are constant and very rapid. Experiments in raising young birds haveproved that they thrive best when fed small quantities at short intervals rather than greater quantities at longer periods. Aside from the insects consumed by the parents, a brood of three young birds will thus each require the destruction of at least 144 insects in a day and probably a very much greater number.
Summary.—In a résumé of the food of the olive-backed and russet-backed thrushes one is impressed with the fact that they come in contact with the products of industry but rarely. The olive-back's food habits infringe upon the dominion of man but little. The bird lives among men, but not with them. The western form, the russet-back, comes more into relations with the cultivated products because it visits orchards and partakes freely of the fruit. Even then the damage is slight, as much of the fruit eaten is that fallen to the ground. Moreover, while the adult bird is feeding upon fruit a nestful of young are being reared upon insects which must be largely taken from the orchard, thus not only squaring the account but probably overbalancing it in favor of the farmer.
HERMIT THRUSHES.
(Hylocichla guttatasubspp.)
The hermit thrush of the subspeciesH. g. pallasiinhabits the Eastern States in winter as far north as Massachusetts and breeds from the mountains of Maryland and Pennsylvania and from northern Michigan and central Minnesota northward to Alaska. Several other subspecies occupy the Pacific coast region in suitable localities—that is, in the higher and more wooded sections, as this bird, like all of the genusHylocichla, does not live in treeless or arid regions. In the East the bird is a late fall migrant and may often be seen sitting silent and alone on a branch in the forest in late October or even in November, when the great army of migrants have passed on to the South. While a beautiful songster, the species is so quiet and unobtrusive that by sight it is entirely unknown to many.
Inquiry into the food habits of this bird covered 551 stomachs, collected in 29 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada, and representing every month of the year, though all the stomachs taken in winter were collected in the Southern States, the District of Columbia, and California. In the primary analysis the food was found to consist of 64.51 per cent of animal matter to 35.49 per cent of vegetable. The former is mostly composed of insects with some spiders, while the latter is largely fruit, chiefly wild species.
Animal food.—Beetles constitute 15.13 per cent of the food. Of these 2.98 per cent are of the useful family, Carabidæ. The remainder are mostly harmful. Scarabæidæ, the larvæ of which are thewhite grubs that destroy the roots of so many plants, were eaten to the extent of 3.44 per cent. Snout beetles, among the most harmful of insects, were taken to the extent of 3.13 per cent. Among these was the notorious plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) found in two stomachs taken in the District of Columbia in April of different years. Two other species of the same genus also were found, as well as the clover weevil (Epicærus imbricatus). The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) and the striped squash beetle (Diabrotica vittata), with a number of other species of less notoriety, were found in several stomachs. Thus, in spite of the bird's retiring habits, it comes in contact with some of the pests of cultivation.
Hermit ThrushB2085-73Fig. 2.—Hermit thrush (Hylocichla guttata).
B2085-73
The ants destroyed—12.46 per cent of the food—keep up the reputation of thrushes as ant eaters. They were taken constantly every month, with the greatest number from May to September; a falling off in July is partly accounted for by the fact that more fruit is taken in that month. Other Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) were eaten to the extent of 5.41 per cent, a surprising amount for a bird that feeds so largely upon the ground, as these insects are usually of fleet wing and live in sunshine and open air.
Caterpillars, eaten in every month and mostly in goodly quantities, appear to be a favorite food of the hermit thrush. December is the month of least consumption (2.75 per cent), while the most were eaten in June (17.08 per cent). The average for the year is 9.54 per cent. Hemiptera (bugs) seem to be eaten whenever found, as they appear in the food of every month, but rather irregularly and not in large quantities. The greatest consumption was in June (9.17 per cent), but July, September, and December show the least (less than 1 per cent). The total for the year is 3.63 per cent. Of the six families represented, the Pentatomidæ, or stink bugs, predominate. These highly flavored insects are eaten by most insectivorous birds often, but usually in small quantities.
Diptera (flies) comprise 3.02 per cent of the food of the hermit thrush. The record shows, however, that nearly all of them are either crane flies (Tipulidæ) and their eggs and larvæ, or March flies (Bibio) and their larvæ. Over 150 of the latter were found in one stomach. Both of these families of flies lay their eggs in the ground, which accounts for their consumption by ground-feeding birds. Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) are eaten by the hermit thrush to the extent of 6.32 per cent of its food. While this figure is not remarkable, it is the highest for any of the genus. These birds are fond of dark moist nooks among trees and bushes and do not feed extensively in those dry sunshiny places so much frequented by grasshoppers. A close inspection of the food record shows that the Orthoptera eaten by the thrushes are mostly crickets, which live in shadier and moister places than those where grasshoppers abound. A few miscellaneous insects (0.27 per cent) close the insect account. Spiders and myriapods (7.47 per cent) seem to constitute a very acceptable article of diet, as they amount to a considerable percentage in nearly every month, and in May rise to 20.79 per cent. A few miscellaneous animals, as sowbugs, snails, and angleworms, make up the balance of the animal food (1.26 per cent).
Following is a list of insects so far as identified and the number of stomachs in which found:
HYMENOPTERA.Tiphia inornata2COLEOPTERA.Elaphrussp1Notiophilus semistriatus1Scarites subterraneus1Dyschirius pumilis1Pterostichus patruelis1Pterostichussp1Amarasp1Chlænius pennsylvanicus2Stenolophussp1Anisodactylus agilis1Tropisternus limbalis2Hydrocharis obtusatus1Sphæridium lecontei1Ptomaphagus consobrinus1Anisotoma valida1Megilla maculata1Anatis 15-maculata1Psyllobora tædata1Brachycantha ursina1Endomychus biguttatus1Cryptophagussp1Hister marginicollis1Hister americanus1Saprinus fimbriatus1Carpophilus hemipterus1Perthalycra murrayi1Ips quadriguttatus3Cytilus sericeus2Cytilussp1Byrrhus kirbyi1Byrrhus cyclophorus1Cryptohypnus bicolor2Drasterius dorsalis1Dolopius lateralis1Melanotussp2Podabrus tomentosus1Canthonsp1Onthophagus tuberculifrons1Onthophagussp3Ægialia lacustris1Rhyssemus scaber1Atænius abditus1Atænius cognatus1Atæniussp1Aphodius fimetarius11Aphodius granarius1Aphodius rugifrons1Aphodius inquinatus9Aphodius pardalis1Aphodius prodromus4Aphodius crassiusculus1Aphodiussp11Geotrupes semipunctata1Dichelonychasp1Lachnosternasp17Chrysomela pulchra3Lema nigrovittata1Chlamys plicata1Myochrous denticollis2Xanthonia 10-notata1Calligrapha scalaris1Leptinotarsa decemlineata1Phædon viridis1Diabrotica vittata1Odontota rubra1Odontotasp1Haltica torquata1Crepidodera helxines1Syneta ferruginea1Systena elongata1Chætocnema pulicaria1Psylliodes punctulata1Chelymorpha cribraria1Opatrinus notus1Opatrinus aciculatus1Blapstinus metallicus1Blapstinus rufipes1Salpingus virescens1Anthicus pubescens1Notoxus monodon1Notoxus denudatum1Notoxussp1Attelabus rhois1Rhigopsis effracta1Cercopeus chrysorrhœus4Pandetetejus hilaris1Barypithes pellucidus1Sitones hispidulus4Sitones flavescens1Trichalophus alternatus1Apionsp1Listronotus latiusculus1Listronotus inæqualipennis1Listronotussp1Macropssp2Smicronyx corniculatus1Trachodes ptinoides1Conotrachelus nenuphar2Conotrachelus posticatus5Conotrachelus erinaceus1Rhinoncus pyrrhopus1Onychobaris insidiosus1Balaninus nasicus1Balaninussp1Sphenophorus parvulus1Sphenophorussp1Dendroctonus terebrans1HEMIPTERA.Podops cinctipes1Nezara hilaris6Arhaphe cicindeloides1Corimelæna denudata1Myodocha serripes2ORTHOPTERA.Amblycorypha rotundifolia1Œcanthus niveus1
Vegetable food.—The vegetable diet of the hermit thrush consists largely of fruit, as with most birds of this group. As might be expected of a bird of such retiring habits, but little of the fruit eaten can be classed as cultivated. In September 5.45 per cent was so considered, but in most months the quantity was small, and in March, April, and May was completely wanting. The total for the year as found in 17 stomachs is 1.20 per cent. One stomach contained strawberries, one grapes, one figs, one currants, two apples, and the restRubusfruit, i. e., blackberries or raspberries. These last as well as the strawberries were probably wild. Of the wild fruit (26.19 per cent) 46 species were identified with a reasonable degree of certainty in 243 stomachs. A few seeds, ground-up vegetable matternot further identified, and rubbish make up the rest of the vegetable food (8.10 per cent). Among the seeds were some of the various species of poisonousRhus. These were found in 18 stomachs, mostly from California. The dissemination of these seeds is unfortunate from the standpoint of husbandry, but many birds engage in it, as the waxy coating of the seeds is nutritious, especially in winter, when fruit and insects are not easily obtainable.
Following is a list of the components of the vegetable food so far as identified, and the number of stomachs in which found: