. A textbook in general zoology. Zoology. BIRDS 277 sistance to the air. The bones are filled with air spaces and there are large air sacs in the abdomen connected with the lungs, all of which tend to lessen the specific gravity of the body. Food and economic importance. — The food eaten by the English sparrow and the bearing this has upon its economic importance has been given considerable attention by the United States Department of Agriculture. In all, 632 stomachs of these birds, of which 50 were nestlings, have been examined and the contents of each 'accurately determined. Figure 188 give
. A textbook in general zoology. Zoology. BIRDS 277 sistance to the air. The bones are filled with air spaces and there are large air sacs in the abdomen connected with the lungs, all of which tend to lessen the specific gravity of the body. Food and economic importance. — The food eaten by the English sparrow and the bearing this has upon its economic importance has been given considerable attention by the United States Department of Agriculture. In all, 632 stomachs of these birds, of which 50 were nestlings, have been examined and the contents of each 'accurately determined. Figure 188 gives a graphic repre- sentation of the result of this investigation. Two per cent of the year's food consists of animal matter, chiefly insects; 24 per cent of grass and weed seeds, and 74 per cent of grain. The fact that grain was found to constitute fig. showing nearly three fourths of the food of the adult sparrows has brought merited condemnation upon this small but abundant bird. Moreover, the results of the examination of the 50 stomachs of nestlings bring additional reproach upon this sparrow. The food of the nestlings of our native sparrows, so far as we know, consists exclusively of animal food, mainly insects. In contrast with this it was found that 33 per cent of the food of the aforementioned 50 nestlings was composed of grain. In justice, however, it must be added that 65 per cent of the food consisted of insects, chiefly grasshoppers. Taking this record as a whole, we must class the English sparrow as decidedly injurious to agri-. proportions of food of an English Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Herrick, Glenn W. (Glenn Washington), 1870-1965. New York, Cincinnati [etc. ] American Book Company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1912
