No. 20. | THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT. 3IO, 



greater part of which belonged to the species Melanoplus atlanis 

 and Melanoplus femur-rubrum. The destruction of these harm- 

 ful insects is of course a service to agriculture; but it must be 

 remembered that all the food of the nestlings of other sparrows 

 consists of insects just as injurious, while one-third of the food 

 of English Sparrows is composed of grain. 



" As an insect destroyer the English Sparrow does its best 

 service by destroying grasshoppers, principally in feeding nes- 

 tlings, nearly half of the food of which, as shown, was found 

 to consist of grasshoppers of the genus Melanoplus. Other 

 Orthoptera are eaten to a slight extent. It is a common sight 

 along roads to see the birds pursuing and capturing the large 

 dust-colored grasshopper (Dissostcira Carolina) which shows 

 yellow underwings when it flies. Long-horned grasshoppers 

 (Locustidse), small grasshoppers of the genus Tettix, and, in one 

 instance at least, the mole cricket (Gryllotalpa) were included in 

 the orthopterous food found in their stomachs. The species of 

 Lepidoptera preyed on are important pests. Whenever there is 

 an uprising of army worms, the English Sparrows feast on the 

 abundant supply. They have been observed catching the moth 

 also of the army worm. During spring and early summer, they 

 remove many cutworms from lawns, and, to a certain extent, 

 feed on hairless caterpillars on shade trees. Occasionally they 

 destroy a few hairy caterpillars; they eat the fall webworm and 

 tussock-moth caterpillars; and sometimes feed on the moths and 

 egg clusters of the latter species; they are included by Forbush 

 among birds seen to feed on the gypsy moth, and they have been 

 observed by Weed preying on the moths of the forest tent cater- 

 pillar. But that they do not habitually eat hairy caterpillars and 

 should not be expected to act as a potent check upon such insects, 

 is evidenced by the fact that only two of nearly 700 stomachs 

 examined contained hairy caterpillars." 



" It appears, therefore, that there is little to be said in favor 

 of the English Sparrow. Its insectivorous habits are creditable 

 as far as they go, but the* are insignificant because the diet is 

 almost exclusively vegetable ; and, while it is in the vegetable fare 

 that the value of most sparrows consists, yet in the case of the 

 English Sparrow the damage to grain far overbalances the 

 benefit of weed seed destruction. Adding to this the injury it 



