. Birds of America;. Birds -- North America. ICTERID^ J53 More than half of tlu- Mcadnwlark's food con- sists of harmful insects; its vcsetablc food (27 per cent.) is composed of noxious weeds, grass seeds, and waste grain; and the remainder is made up of useful beetles or neutral insects and spiders. When it is considered that the bird feeds exclusively on the ground, it seems remarkable that so few useful ground beetles are taken. Grasshoi)i)ers are the most imjiortant item ot food of the Meadowlark. amoimting to 29 per cent, of the food of the year and 69 per cent, of the food of .\ugust. P
. Birds of America;. Birds -- North America. ICTERID^ J53 More than half of tlu- Mcadnwlark's food con- sists of harmful insects; its vcsetablc food (27 per cent.) is composed of noxious weeds, grass seeds, and waste grain; and the remainder is made up of useful beetles or neutral insects and spiders. When it is considered that the bird feeds exclusively on the ground, it seems remarkable that so few useful ground beetles are taken. Grasshoi)i)ers are the most imjiortant item ot food of the Meadowlark. amoimting to 29 per cent, of the food of the year and 69 per cent, of the food of .\ugust. are next to grass- hop])ers in importance. Cater])illars, too, form a very constant element of the food. Most of the caterpillars arc ground feeders and are over- looked by the birds which habitually frequent trees, but the Meaclowlark I'mds ;uul devours them by the thousands, not even passing by the hairy ones as most birds do. The Western Meadowlark has been accused in California of eating the seeds of forage plants, especially clover, to an injurious extent. It has also in Southern California been charged with damaging the early crops of peas. Investigation of both of these accusations proved that local or exceptional conditions were the cause of the Meadowlark's fall from Phot" by E. M. Bowland Courtesy . .f (lulmi! I'uh. C NEST AND EGGS OF MEADOWLARK AUDUBON'S ORIOLE Icterus melanocephalus auduboni Giraitd A. O. t_^ Xuitiber 503 General Description.— Length, gyi inches. Fore parts, wings, and tail, black; body, yellow. Bill, long and pointed; wings, moderately long; tail, more than ^ length of wing, rounded. Color.— Adilt M.\le: Head, upper part of neck, fore portion of upper chest, wings (except lesser and part of middle coverts), and tail, black; inner wing quills and greater wing-coverts broadly edged with whitish; loifcr hindncck, back, shoulders, rump, and iipfcr lail-coTcrts, dull saffron-yclloiv or wax-yellow tinged with olive-green, the sho
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidbirdsofameri, bookyear1923
