NESTLING BIRDS AND THEIR FOOD 



flies, I worked it out, and have ascertained that a 

 single fly-catcher, wagtail, swallow, or martin will 

 dispose of from 200 to 300 flies in a single day. This 



The Gape of the Night Jar. This bird hawks its prey on the 

 wing at night. With a single snap it shears off the 

 wings of a moth and swallows its egg-laden body. 



The night jar is provided with a wide gape for capturing 

 insects in the air. 



is from a study of the stomach contents at various 

 periods of the daylight hours. I have watched fly- 

 catchers at work feeding their young, and they have 

 made as many as 450 journeys to their nest in the 

 course of a day with food for their young. Half these 

 flies are females. A female house fly lays 120 eggs 



l 9S 



