54 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



For three years, from 1891 to 1893, inclusive, the trees were trimmed and cared for. 

 They were sprayed or banded to protect them from canker worms, and the "nests" of the 

 tent caterpillar (Clisiocampa Americana) (Fig. 27), were removed. The result was a scanty 



yield of apples from most of the trees. 

 One or two bore quite plentifully. 

 ^ ' " In order to observe the effect of the 



feeding of birds in the orchard, no care 

 was taken in 1894 to protect the trees. 

 Daring that year the tent caterpillars 

 were very numerous in the vicinity, and 

 it became evident also that a great in- 

 crease in the the number of canker-worms 

 was taking place in the neighborhood. 

 Although these insects made considerable 

 inroads upon the trees, they did not seri- 

 ously injure the foliage anywhere except 

 in one or two instances. No attempt was 

 made previous to 1895 to foster or en- 

 courage the birds in the neighborhood, 

 except that a few nesting boxes were put 

 up in 1894, which were occupied in one 

 case by a family of wrens, and in another 

 by the English or house sparrow. We 

 were careful, however, to destroy the 

 nests of the house sparrow. 



Fig. 27. 



Fig. 28. 



In the fall of 1894 it was noticed that immense numbers of the wingless females of 

 the fall canker-worm {Anisopteryx pometaria) (Fig. 28, b), were ascending nearly all the 

 trees and depositing their eggs ; also, that the eggs of the tent caterpillar moths were 

 numerous upon the twigs promising a plentiful supply for 1895. 



Having allowed the insects one year to increase unmolested by man, we began in the 

 winter of 1894 95 to encourage the presence of birds in the orchard. 



In 1894 a small tree in the centre of the orchard had been enclosed by a high board 

 fence. The tree thus enclosed was used as an outdoor experiment station for observation 

 on the breeding and habits of the gypsy moth. During the winter 1894-95, Mr. C. E. 

 Bailey made frequent visits to this tree to ascertain whether or not the birds were destroy- 

 ing the eggs of the gypsy moth. Incidentally, Mr. Bailey observed many interesting 

 things in connection with the feeding of the birds on the eggs, larv?e and pupte of insects 

 which wintered on the trees, and I am greatly indebted to him for many interesting notes 

 on the feeding of birds in this orchard. He is a careful, conscientious observer, and is 

 intimately acquainted with most of our native land birds. 



Hunters and trappers are aware that many species of winter birds, such as titmicei 

 woodpeckers, crows, jays and nuthatches are attracted by a skinned carcase suspended 

 from a limb, and will remain in the vicinity until all the bones are picked clean or until, 

 with the approach of spring, insect food becomes more accessible. 



Believing from my own observations that the chickadees (Parus atricapillus) were 

 feeding on the eggs of the fall canker-worm, I asked Mr. Bailey to attract the birds, if 

 possible, to the orchard by suspending pieces of meat, bone, suet, etc., from the trees. 



