|
| ||||||||||||||||
Vegetable food.—The vegetable portion of the food of Myadestes is 64.10 per cent of the whole, and 58.70 per cent of this, or more than half the whole food, is classified as wild fruit or berries. These were found in stomachs collected in every month. From the even distribution of this food through the year and from the quantity eaten it is evidently a favorite article of diet. Nothing was found in any of the stomachs that could be identified as cultivated fruit, with the possible exception of a mass of fruit pulp found in one. A few seeds of poison ivy and sumac, with fragments of flowers and a few weed seeds, complete the vegetable food. Following is a list of fruits, seeds, etc., identified, and the number of stomachs in which found:
| Rocky Mountain cedar (Juniperus scopulorum)3 Western cedar (Juniperus monospermum)1 Other cedars (Juniperus sp.)2 Hackberries (Celtis occidentalis)1 Douglas hackberries (Celtis douglasii)1 Service berries (Amelanchier sp.)1 Rose haws (Rosa sp.)2 | Wild cherries (Prunus sp.)1 Sumac berries (Rhus sp.)1 Poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron)1 Waxwork (Celastrus sp.)1 Madrona berries (Arbutus menziesii)5 Honeysuckle berries (Lonicera sp.)1 Elderberries (Sambucus sp.)1 Fruit not further identified3 |
| Rocky Mountain cedar (Juniperus scopulorum) | 3 |
| Western cedar (Juniperus monospermum) | 1 |
| Other cedars (Juniperus sp.) | 2 |
| Hackberries (Celtis occidentalis) | 1 |
| Douglas hackberries (Celtis douglasii) | 1 |
| Service berries (Amelanchier sp.) | 1 |
| Rose haws (Rosa sp.) | 2 |
| Wild cherries (Prunus sp.) | 1 |
| Sumac berries (Rhus sp.) | 1 |
| Poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron) | 1 |
| Waxwork (Celastrus sp.) | 1 |
| Madrona berries (Arbutus menziesii) | 5 |
| Honeysuckle berries (Lonicera sp.) | 1 |
| Elderberries (Sambucus sp.) | 1 |
| Fruit not further identified | 3 |
Summary.—With so small an amount of material it is not safe to draw general conclusions, but in the case of Myadestes one point seems clear—the bird's favorite food is small wild fruit, and as long as this is abundant the bird will probably not attack cultivated varieties; but should any portion of the region occupied by the solitaire be cleared of its wild fruit and cultivated species be introduced these would likely be preyed upon. Under such conditions this bird, now perfectly harmless, might inflict considerable damage.
WOOD THRUSH.
(Hylocichla mustelina.)
The wood thrush is distributed over the eastern part of the United States wherever suitable conditions are found. It is a lover of open groves and bushy pastures, and may be found along little-traveled roads and near low bushy swamps. The bird is noted for its sweet song, and many country people who are well acquainted with its notes know little or nothing of the bird itself. Its favorite time for singing is in the early evening at the close of a sultry afternoon when a shower has cooled the air. As a rule, it does not nest in gardens or orchards and is seldom seen about farm buildings. It is strictly migratory, and the greater number pass out of the United States in winter, though a few remain in the Southern States. It usually migrates north in April or early May.
For the investigation of the food habits of the wood thrush 171 stomachs were available. One of these was collected in Florida in January and another in Alabama in February, and these two will be treated separately. The remaining 169 were collected from April to October, and are fairly well distributed over that time. The food consisted of 59.59 per cent of animal matter to 40.41 per cent of vegetable. The greatest quantity of animal food was eaten in April, the month of arrival from the south, and the least in October, the month of the return migration.