136 TEANS ACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



scales of adult lepidoptera appeared in the stomachs of two of the nine 

 birds. The dung-beetles and grain constituted twenty-two per cent, of all 

 these birds had eaten, and strawberries and raspberries eighteen per cent. 



In July the average of ants fell again, this time to one per cent,, 

 while caterpillars rise to thirteen per cent., one bird having filled itself 

 with them. Carabidse remain at five per cent., three per cent, of spring- 

 beetles occur, and five per cent, of soldier-bugs. The scavenger insects 

 and fragments of corn disappear, to be replaced by sixty-two per cent, of 

 raspberries and blackberries. Minor details of the food can be learned 

 by reference to the tables. 



Turning now to the economical value of this bird, so far as it can be 

 supposed to be indicated by the stomachs of these twenty-eight individuals, 

 I conclude that in April it gains a credit of about twenty-two per cent.; 

 that in May, chiefly through the excess of predaceous beetles, this drops 

 to about six per cent. ; that in June it falls away to zero, and in July to 

 minus thirty per cent., thus just about wiping out the credits of the 

 previous months. It is scarcely likely that the brown thrush so far 

 reforms its habits in the grape and apple months as to favorably affect its 

 record for the year. Subject, therefore, to the many reservations I have 

 made respecting the previous species, I should say that the ordinary 

 services of this bird do not entitle it to especial protection. What its 

 extraordinary services may be is an untouched question which can only 

 be solved by studying its food under extraordinary circumstances. That 

 we should be content with a songster of such charming qualities and one 

 so generous with his melody, as long as he barely pays his way, is a sug- 

 gestion which will immediately occur to many, but one which I have no 

 present business with in this research. 



THE WOOD THRUSH {Turdus fnusielinus, Gm.) 



But eleven individuals of this species were examined: two taken in 

 April, four in May, one in June, three in July and one in September — so 

 few that I will make no attempt to follow the food through the season 

 month by month, but will give only the general results. 



These indicate that the food-habits of this bird have iew marked 

 peculiarities, but chiefly share the features of those of several of the other 

 species. Eating nearly as many ants as the cat-bird, as many caterpillars 

 as the robin and hermit thrush, it falls below all the other species in the 

 ratio of predaceous beetles, runs above them all in wire-worms and 

 thousand-legs (approached, however, in the latter particular, by the 

 hermit thrush), but eats scarcely any scavenger-beetles. Only nineteen 

 per cent, of its food was fruit, and all but seven per cent, was wild. 

 Although the specimens were too few positively to settle anything, the 

 bird certainly promises well, and I will take pains to learn more about it 

 another year. If its habits should not change with increasing numbers, 

 it would apparently well repay generous encouragement. At present, 

 counting all the wild fruits as tame, I should say that this bird exhibits a 

 balance of about twenty-five per cent, on the right side of its account. 



