340 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [BuU. 



lows {Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons). The Tree or White- 

 bellied Swallows {Iridoprocne bicolor) collect on our salt 

 marshes in enormous flocks in late summer, and as they skim 

 back and forth over the shallow pools do what is possible to 

 lessen the plague of mosquitoes. With them associate smaller 

 numbers of Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), and join in the 

 hunt for flying insects of all kinds. Messrs. Weed and Dearborn 

 state that ten Purple Martins (Progne subis siibis) examined 

 by Professor Aughey in Kansas had eaten 265 locusts, besides 161 

 other insects. This bird is said to kill a few honey-bees, but this 

 must be forgiven it for its good qualities. 



WAXWINGS. 

 Bombycillidce. 



The Cedar Waxv/ing {Bomby cilia cedrorum) is a capital fly- 

 catcher, darting from a twig and seizing insects in the air with 

 the skill of a Kingbird. The stomachs of seven shot in an orchard 

 infested with cankerworms were found by Professor Forbes to 

 contain over 100 worms apiece, and they are said also to feed 

 freely on the elm-tree beetle. " Its proverbial fondness for cherries 

 has given rise to its popular name, and much complaint has been 

 made on account of the fruit eaten. Observation has shown, 

 however, that its depredations are confined to trees on which the 

 fruit ripens earliest, while later varieties are comparatively un- 

 touched. This is probably owing to the fact that, when wild 

 fruits ripen, they are preferred to cherries, and really constitute 

 the bulk of the Cedar Bird's diet. 



" In 152 stomachs examined animal matter formed only 13, 

 and vegetable 87 per cent, showing that the bird is not wholly a 

 fruit eater. With the exception of a few snails, all the animal 

 food consisted of insects, mainly beetles, and all but one more 

 or less noxious, the famous elm leaf beetle being among the num- 

 ber. Bark or scale lice were found in several stomachs, while 

 the remainder of the animal food was made up of grasshoppers, 

 bugs, and the like. Three nestlings were found to have been fed 

 almost entirely on insects. 



" Of the 87 per cent of vegetable food, 74 consisted entirely 

 of wild fruit or seeds, and 13 of cultivated fruit, but a large part 



