Fig. 329.—Top-knot Quail, or California Partridge. (West Texas to California.)
The kingbird, or martin, is largely insectivorous. In an examination of 62 stomachs of this bird, great care was taken to identify every insect or fragment that had any resemblance to a honeybee; as a result, 30 honeybees were identified, of which 29 were males or drones and 1 was a worker.
Blue Jay.—In an investigation of the food of the blue jay 300 stomachs were examined, which showed that animal matter comprised 24 per cent and vegetable matter 76 per cent of the bird’s diet. The jay’s favourite food is mast (i.e. acorns, chestnuts, chinquapins, etc.), which was found in 200 of the 300 stomachs, and amounted to more than 42 per cent of the whole food.
FIG. 330.—Penguin of Patagonia. Wings used as flippers for swimming.
Crow.—That he does pull up sprouting corn, destroy chickens, and rob the nests of small birds has been repeatedly proved. Nor are these all of his sins. He is known to eat frogs, toads, salamanders, and some small snakes, all harmless creatures that do some good by eating insects. Experience has shown that they may be prevented from pulling up young corn by tarring the seed, which not only saves the corn but forces them to turn their attention to insects. May beetles, “dorbugs,” or June bugs, and others of the same family constitute the principal food during spring and early summer, and are fed to the young in immense quantities.
Ricebird.—The annual loss to rice growers on account of bobolinks has been estimated at $2,000,000.
Fig. 331.—Umbrella holding the nests of social weaver bird of Africa; polygamous.
Meadow Lark.—Next to grasshoppers, beetles make up the most important item of the meadow lark’s food, amounting to nearly 21 per cent. May is the month when the dreaded cut-worm begins its deadly career, and then the lark does some of its best work. Most of these caterpillars are ground feeders, and are overlooked by birds which habitually frequent trees, but the meadow lark finds and devours them by thousands.