5(3 THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



It is, however, when the moths are emerging that the 

 layman notices more particuhirly the work of birds in 

 checking the increase of this insect. The white motlis leave 

 their cocoons and remain in situations more or less exposed 

 until their wings have developed. As a result of the habit 

 of the caterpillars in s})inning their cocoons in a common 

 mass, there will often be a large number of moths within a 

 small area on a fence, house wall or other sheltered locality. 

 '11 ic birds soon locate these favored spots, and often con- 

 sume the moths even before their Avings have expanded. In 

 this work of moth destruction the kingl)ird and some of the 

 tlycatchers figure to a limited extent, but the most formid- 

 able enemv of the mature moths Is the notorious Enoli.sh 

 sparrow. That this bird, whose c\ il habits in driving out 

 native insectivorous birds are so well known, should show 

 this distinctly beneficial trait, may be a matter of surprise 

 to many students of nature ; but the fact remains tliat the 

 English sparrow, with its numerous progeny, exerts a great 

 and beneficial influence in checking the moth in our thickly 

 settled districts, — places where natural checks are often 

 most deficient. 



July 1(], 1897, the time when the moths were notably 

 thick at Somervillc and Camln-idge, Mr. Kirkland observed 

 whole flocks of Eno-lish sparrows followin<i: alonir the line 

 of fences and carefully searching for the moths, which when 

 found were greedily devoured. The sides of the pickets 

 and even the bottom of the rails were carefully examined 

 by these sharp-eyed moth hunters, and all moths of either 

 sex found were consumed. 



The -paiTows do not confine their attentions to huntinir 

 fni- li\c nioths, but also act as scavengers in removing from 

 the arc lumps the masses of moths which accunmlate in the 

 globes over night. At M).'M) v.y\., July II, ISDT, an arc 

 lamp :it Maiden around uiiich (lie moths were swarmin«- 

 was from one-fourth to one-third full of the dead bodies of 

 the moth.>+. Wishing to make a count of the number of 

 moths thus destroyed by the lamp, Mr. Kirkland visited it 

 at fy.ao the following morning : hut at that hour the sparrows 

 were actively feeding on the moths in the lamp globe, and 



