Biology of the Membracidae of the Cayuga Lake Basin 417 



suddenly, are unpalatable and irritating. The only birds that have been 

 actually observed eating membracids, with the species and form indicated, 

 are as follows: 



Bird 



Nymph 



Adult 



Chipping sparrow 



Song sparrow 



Catbird 



Oriole 



Warbler (various species) . 



Redstart 



Bobolink 



Bluebird 



Thrush (various species) . , 



Vanduzea arquata. 

 Enlylia hactriana. 

 Telamona unicolor 

 Ceresa laurina. . . . 



Stictocephala inermis . . , 

 Telamona ampelopsidis . 

 Atymna castaneae 



Entylia bactriana 



Vanduzea arquata 

 Ophiderma pubescens 



Atymna castaneae (?) 



While this list is sufficiently imposing as it stands, it must l)e remembered 

 that the instances are in every case single ones and are the only observations 

 obtained during a long period of collecting. The truth is that, so far 

 as the data of the basin show, the birds are of little importance as mem- 

 bracid enemies. 



Records from other parts of the country seem to indicate that birds 

 are far more of a factor in this respect than is the case locally, Wildermuth 

 (1915) reports that of thirty-one birds, representing eight different species, 

 ten had from one to four adults of Stictocephala festina in their crops; 

 and W. L. McAtee (recorded in correspondence) has taken the rare species 

 Idioderma virescens VanD. from the stomach of a nighthawk. 



OTHER enemies 



One instance has been noted of a toad industriously engaged in trying 

 to take nymphs of Thelia bimaculata from the base of the trunk of a 

 locust sapling. The operation seemed to be- fraught with some difficulty 

 because of the tenacity with which the membracids held to their host and 

 because of their sheltered position in the cracks of the bark; they would 

 doubtless have escaped unnoticed had it not been for the movements 

 of the large ants running briskly about them. Two cases are recordcxl 

 of toads feeding on both nymphs and adults of Entylia hactriana. 



