Chickadee WESTERN BIRDS 



they roam through the forests or descend into the valleys, 

 often accompanied by Kinglets, Nuthatches, Creepers, 

 and Woodpeckers, making a jovial company. 



These tiny birds are among our most useful ones. 

 They are fond of tent-caterpillars and their eggs; canker- 

 worm moths, their larvse and eggs; codling moths with 

 their larvse; the forest tent-caterpillar, as well as the 

 larva, chrysalis, and imago of the gipsy and brown-tail 

 moths. Plant lice and their eggs, olive and other scales, 

 are also eaten. 



Dr. Weed tells us that more than 450 eggs of plant 

 lice are eaten by one Chickadee in one day. Supposing 

 that only 100 were eaten daily by each of a flock of ten, 

 there would be destroyed 1,000 a day, or 100,000 during 

 the winter by only ten birds. 



Mr. C. E. Bailey, after careful examination, makes a 

 statement of prodigious work done by these birds in de- 

 stroying the female and eggs of the spring cankerworm 

 moth. Mr. Bailey found that each female moth laid on 

 an average 185 eggs, and each Chickadee ate 30 females 

 a day from March 20 to April 15, which would give the 

 bird a record of destroying in one day 5,550 eggs, and 

 in 25 days in which the cankerworm moths "run" or 

 crawl up the trees, 138,750. It is quite likely that some 

 of the moths were not found until after they laid the 

 eggs, but the Chickadees found and ate the eggs also. 

 Is it any wonder that the little sprites are forever on 

 the move? 



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