GG BuiiKAU OK Fak.\[KI{s' institutes. 



important aids in keeping this insect in control. Mr. E. H. For- 

 bush, ornithologist to the Massachusetts State Board of Agri- 

 culture, has kindly supplied me with the following list of native 

 birds observed feeding on forest tent caterpillars: Oriole, black- 

 billed cuckoo, yellow-billed cuckoo, crow, blue jay, redstart, 

 nuthatch, wood thrush, chewink, black and white creeper, red- 

 eyed vireo, flicker and scarlet tanager. Mr. V. H. Lowe has ob- 

 served the black-capped chickadee feeding on the eggs and the 

 robin on the caterpillars, beside others mentioned. Professor 

 C. M. Weed states that the robin, chipping sparrow, yellow 

 bird and English sparrow feed on the moths. In view of the fact 

 that our best authorities have estimated that bird life in New 

 York State has decreased 48 per cent, in the past fifteen years, 

 it seems reasonable to attribute this outbreak by forest tent cat- 

 erpillars in part to the decline in the number of birds. The fol- 

 lowing accounts illustrate the value of our feathered friends: 

 In a typical orchard at Medford, Mass., Mr. Forbush took a little 

 trouble to attract the native birds, the nests of the English or 

 house sparrow being destroyed. The results were greatly in 

 favor of protecting our indigenous forms. In the neighboring 

 orchards it was evident that canker worms and tent caterpillars 

 were abundant, but in the orchard in question the trees were 

 seriously injured in only one or two instances, though no at- 

 tempt was made to control the insects by spraying or other arti- 

 ficial means. The following note relating to forest tent cater- 

 pillars is by Miss Caroline G. Soule: " The nuthatches would 

 stand by a patch of larva? lying close together below a tar band 

 on a tree and eat so voraciously and with such an entire aban- 

 donment of self-consciousness that I could go close and put my 

 hand on them before they would fly. This experience was re- 

 peated several times." 



Our native birds are undoubtedly of great value and will richly 

 repay any slight effort that may be made for the purpose of at- 

 tracting them to a neighborhood. Winter birds may be induced 

 to remain in a locality by hanging in the trees pieces of meat or 

 partially picked bones, and will spend much time in searching 



