No. 20.] THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT. 355 



him all the year, and there is no bird that can compare with it in 

 destroying the female moths and their eggs." (Forbush, " Birds 

 as Protectors of Orchards.") 



KINGLETS. 



SyhiidcE. 



Our Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets {Regulus satrapa 

 satrapa and R. calendula calendula) carry on the work of the 

 Chickadees to the flowers and to the leaf-buds, which their diminu- 

 tive size allows them to investigate. Regarding the Golden- 

 crowned Kinglet Professor King says : " Of nine specimens 

 examined, two had eaten twelve small diptera; three, nine small 

 beetles ; one, four caterpillars ; one, a small chrysalis ; and three, 

 very small bits of insects, too fine to be identified." 



Of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet he says : " Of seven specimens 

 examined, two had eaten four small caterpillars ; three, five 

 beetles ; one, an ant ; one, a chalcis fly ; and two, bits of insects 

 not identified." (King, "The Economic Relation of Wisconsin 

 Birds," in Chapman, " The Economic Value of Birds to the 

 State.") 



THRUSHES, ROBINS, and BLUEBIRDS. 



Turdids. 



Our Thrushes are all insectivorous, and in feeding habits 

 closely resemble each other. " In summarizing the food of the 

 family of Thrushes as it occurs in Illinois, Professor Forbes says : 

 ' Sixty-one per cent of the food consists of insects, one per cent 

 of spiders, two per cent of myriapods, and thirty-two per cent of 

 fruits, eleven per cent being blackberries, eight per cent cherries, 

 one per cent currants, and five per cent grapes. Thirty parts of 

 the food consist of injurious insects, and eight parts of beneficial 

 species, while twenty-six parts consist of edible fruits. This, 

 however, refers only to the adult birds, the food of the young not 

 being sufficiently known to be included in the estimate. All the 

 observations on record indicate that the nestlings of Thrushes 

 are fed upon insects, especially smooth caterpillars like the cut- 

 worms, so that there is little doubt that this factor would largely 

 increase the already conclusive evidence as to the great value 



