550 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



sparrows, perfer to ivx'd under cover of bushes or herbaeeoiis plants. The other birds 

 observed'on the farm are of less Umited distril)ution, and include kingbird, oriole, 

 cedar bird, catbird, hawks, owls, turkey buzzards, kingfishers, etc. A collection 

 was made of insects, seeds, and plants on the farm in order to determine the kinds 

 of food accessible to the birds. Crane flies and May flies occurred in large numbers 

 and were eaten by many species of birds. Among the injurious insects upon which 

 observations were made we may mention potato beetle, bean flea-beetle, tortoise bee- 

 tles, cabbage worm, harlequin cabbage bug, 12-spotted cucumber beetle, pea aphis, 

 tobacco worm, fall webworm, sawfly, locust leaf-mining beetle, flea-beetles, rose 

 chafer, May beetle, cutworms, grasshoppers, ants, weevils, and oak scale. Observa- 

 tions made on insects injurious to farm crops indicated that birds are of little service 

 in protecting farm crops against the attacks of injurious insects, and that they can 

 not be depended upon for this purpose, but that insecticides must be used freely and 

 repeatedly. Better service was rendered by birds in controlling the numbers of cer- 

 tain insects injurious to shade trees. Detailed notes are given on the relationship 

 of birds to beneficial insects, such as honeybee, soldier beetles, tiger beetles, brown 

 beetles, ladybirds, l)ees, and wasps. As a rule these beneficial insects were not fed 

 upon to a great extent l)y the birds on the Maryland farm. Parasitic Hymenoptera, 

 however, were eaten by 36 species of birds. 



Considering the insect food of the 645 native birds of which the stomachs were 

 examined, it was found that the birds were most insectivorous in May, when more 

 than 90 per cent of the food consisted of insects. Throughout the entire period of 

 observation insects furnished 60.41 per cent of the total amount of food eaten by the 

 various birds. Of this amount beetles furnished the most, and white ants the least. 

 Observations were also made on the feeding habits of the nestlings of grasshopper, 

 sparrow, oriole, house wren, catbird, and other species. The greatest benefit from 

 the presence of nestlings consists in their consumption of caterpillars and grasshop- 

 pers. Notes are also given on the destruction of poultry and game by crows, eagles, 

 Cooper hawks, sharp-shinned hawk, and great horned owl. Mention is also made 

 of the consumption of fish by certain aquatic species and the destruction of mice, 

 rabbits, and carrion by various species of birds. Among the cultivated fruits the 

 following were grown on tlie farm upon which the observations were made: Straw- 

 berries, cherries, grapes, tomatoes, melons, together with a number of wild fruits, 

 including raspberries, elderberries, blackberries, mulberries, smilax, blueberries, wild 

 cherries, etc. These fruits were eaten in varying quantities by the different species 

 of birds. Notes are also presented on the distribution of seeds by birds, on the 

 destruction of grain by crows, blackbirds, English sparrows, and other species, and 

 on the destruction of weed seeds l)y native sparrows and other species. Tlie l)ulletin 

 also contains an annotated list of all the species of birds observed upon the farm. 



As a result of the author's observations, it is concluded that at Marshall Hall the 

 English sparrow, sharp-shinned hawk, and great horned owl are injurious and should 

 be killed. The same is true of sapsucker, while the feeding habits of the crow pre- 

 sent rather an unfavorable case for this bird. The other species of birds are believed 

 to do rather more good than harm, under ordinary conditions. 



The birds of Wyoming', W. C. Knight ( Wyoming Sta. Bid. 55, pp. 174, P^^- 4S, 

 figs. 14)- — The author presents an annotated list of about 300 species of birds observed 

 in Wyoming. Brief notes are given on the habits and economic relations of the 

 more important species. All of the illustrations for the bulletin are original. 



The birds of North and Middle America, II, R. Ridcjway {Smithm. Inst., U. S. 

 Nat. Mns. Bui. r,o, 190 j, pi. 2, pjp. XX + 834, pis- ^^) ■ —In this volume the author con- 

 tinues his descriptive catalogue of the birds of North and Middle America. The vol- 

 ume contains a description of the following families: Tanagridse, Icteridse, Coerebidse, 

 and Mniotiltidse. 



