The Dickcissel (Spiza Americana) of the Illinois Prairies

Tn• following account of the food of the Dickcissel is based upon an examination of the contents of the stomachs and crops of birds collected near Atwood, Illinois, and upon observations made in the field during the nesting season.The author is indebted to Mr. E. R. Kalmbach of the U.S. Biological Survey and to Mr. A. N. Caudell of the U.S. Bureau of Entomology for the identification of the crop and stomach contents of 19 of the 33 birds obtained.The stomachs were taken from birds collected chiefly in August, a season of the year when insects and seeds form the most important part of the food of the Dickclssel.The stomachs and crops contained vegetable matter to the amount of 68 per cent, the animal food constituting only 32 per cent of the entire contents.Examinations by the U.S. Bio