53 



JjIrds that Destroy Grapes. 



By Amos W. Butler. 



Ill my i'('[i()rt on the Birds of Ii.idiaiia. IS'.lT.' I reffrrcd to my observa- 

 tidiis coiicerniiig the grape-eatiug habits of the English si)arro\v. On 

 another page reference is made to a similar reported habit which I have 

 never observed myself of tiie Baltimore Oricile.- Also note is made of the 

 grape puncturing habit of the Tennessee Warbler." which I have since had 

 excellent opiiortunities several times to note. 



The fall of Km. while an invalid, 1 sjient niucli time in a lai'ge imrcli 

 swing beneath our grape arbor at my home at Irvington. Indiana. In this 

 way I had an e.xcellent opportunity to observe the birds found among the 

 gra]i(>\ines and note their habits. In the fall of 1012, I made some 

 further observjitions. We had both years the following kinds of grapes in 

 iiearing. ("atawba. Concord. Brighton, Worden, Moore's Early. Delaware 

 and an unknown variety. In 1912 we had in addition Niagara fruitintr. 

 Those trained upon the arbor were all of two kinds. Concord, and the 

 unknown variety — mostly the former. In 1911 the vines bore very heavily 

 and generally both Imnclies and berries were undersized. In 1912 the 

 Catawba and Concords upon the arbor bore fewer grapes, mostly of small 

 size and ripened unevenly. The same varieties in other situations bore 

 l)etter fruit. The behavior of the birds too was different. While the first 

 year mentioned there were a niunber of robins among the vines, the most 

 notable visitors and by far the most destructive were two kinds of wai-- 

 blers, the Tennessee Warbler and the Cape May Warbler. 



The second year these warblers were few and inconspicuous and there 

 were more kinds of birds about the grapes. These included great numbers 

 of robins, mostly migrants, together with many more E'nglish Sparrows and 

 Bronzed Crackles. Flickers, and Blue Jays w^hieh feasted upon the fruit. 



1911. 

 Sept. 9. Cape May Warbler, one puncturing grapes. 

 Sept. 10. Cape May Warbler, one puncturing grapes. 

 Sept. 10. Tennessee Warbler, two. 



1 Report of state geologist, 1897, pp. 937-8. 

 - Ibid. p. 904. 

 Mbid, p. 10.37. 



