Black Tern {Hydrochelldon nigra siirinamensis.) 



Length, 10 inches. In autumn occurs as a migrant on the east coast of the 

 United States, and then is in white and gray plumage. During the breeding sea- 

 son it is confined to the interior, is chiefly black, and is the only dark tern oc- 

 curring inland. 



Range: Breeds from California, Colorado, Missouri, and Ohio, north to 

 central Canada ; winters from Mexico to South America ; migrant in the eastern 

 United States. 



Habits and economic status : This tern, unlike most of its relatives, passes 

 much of its life on fresh-water lakes and marshes of the interior. Its nests are 

 placed among the tules and weeds, on floating vegetation, or on muskrat houses. 

 It lays from 2 to 4 eggs. Its food is more varied than that of any other tern. So 

 far as known it preys upon no food fishes, but feeds extensively upon such enemies 

 of fish as dragonfly nymphs, fish-eating beetles, and crawfishes. Unlike most of 

 its family, it devours a great variety of insects, many of which it catches as it 

 flies. Dragonflies, May flies, grasshoppers, predaceous diving beetles, scarabjeid 

 beetles, leaf beetles, gnats, and other flies are the principal kinds preyed upon. 

 Fishes of little economic value, chiefly minnows and mummichogs, were found to 

 compose only a little more than 19 per cent of the contents of 145 stomachs. The 

 great consumption of insects by the black tern places it among the beneficial species 

 worthy of protection. . 



Bullock's Oriole {icterus bullocki.) 

 Length, about 8 inches. Our only oriole with top of head and throat black 

 and cheeks orange. 



Range: Breeds from South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas to the Pacific 

 Ocean and from southern Canada to northern Mexico; winters in Mexico. 



Habits and economic status: In the West this bird takes the place occupied 

 in the East by the Baltimore oriole. In food, nesting habits, and song the birds 

 are similar. Both are migratory and remain on their summer range only some 

 five or six months. They take kindly to orchards, gardens, and the vicinity of 

 farm buildings and often live in villages and city parks. Their diet is largely made 

 up of insects that infest orchards and gardens. When fruit trees are in bloom 

 they are constantly busy among the blossoms and save many of them from de- 

 struction. In the food of Bullock's oriole beetles amount to 35 per cent and nearly 

 all are harmful. Many of these are weevils, some of which live upon acorns and 

 other nuts. Ants and wasps amount to 15 per cent of the diet. The black olive 

 scale was found in 45 of the 162 stomachs examined. Caterpillars, with a few 

 moths and pupae, are the largest item of food and amount to over 41 per cent. 

 Among these were codling-moth larvre. The vegetable food is practically all fruit 

 (19 per cent) and in cherry season consists largely of that fruit. Eating small 

 fruits is the bird's worst trait, but it will do harm in this way only when very 

 numerous. 96 



