1914] The Ottawa Naturalist. 165 



birds are almost extinct in south-western Ontario, where they 

 were formerly tolerably common, it would seem an excellent 

 policy to encourage them in the Ottawa district while you have 



them there". 



Two of the woodpeckers may be attracted by the use of 

 nesting boxes. The Flicker (Colaptes auratus), which occurs in 

 and around Ottawa, feeds largely on ants; a single stomach has 

 been found to contain over 5000 ants. In another instance 28 

 white grubs, one of our worst pests of grass land and certain 

 crops, were found in the stomach of a flicker which feeds largelv 

 on the ground. It also feeds upon wild fruits, such as the wild 

 black cherry. The Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 

 is a most yaluable ally, as it feeds largely on beetles that destroy 

 trees by boring into the bark and timber. An examination of 

 723 stomachs showed that 76 per cent, of the diet was animal 

 food, consisting chiefly of insects. 



Reference has already been made to the weed-destroying 

 habits of our native sparrows. One of the first birds to arrive 

 in the spring, breaking the long winter silence with its welcome 

 little song, is the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), which is 

 very domestic in its habits. About three-fourths of its food 

 consist of weed seeds and one-fourth of insects. Beetles, especially 

 weevils, form the greater portion of the insect food. A thick 

 hedge, dense shrubs or piles of logs provide suitable nesting 

 places for this most welcome of our sparrows. The Chipping 

 Sparrow (Spizella passer iua), whose confiding ways give it a warm 

 place in our affection, has somewhat similar nesting habits to the 

 former. It is, moreover, the most insectivorous of our sparrows. 

 About 42 per cent, of its food consists of insects and spiders, and 

 caterpillars make up the major portion of the insect food, 

 especially when the young are being reared, when as many as 

 1 7 feedings per hour, on an average, for a brood of our nestlings 

 have been recorded. The retiring and sombre Juncoor Snow- 

 bird (Junco hyenialis) , destroys insects and feeds on weed seeds, 

 An examination of 500 stomachs gave 23 per cent, animal food 

 (caterpillars, bugs and beetles), and 77 per cent, vegetable food, 

 of which over 6l percent, consisted of weed seeds. In September 

 the proportion of weed seeds may rise as high as 95 per cent, of 

 the food. 



Before discussing the details of the proposal for the protec- 

 tion of the Ottawa birds, it will be of interest to refer to the 

 results of certain schemes of bird protection which have been 

 adopted in other countries. 



