THE MUSEUM. 



mis), and Downy Woodpecker {Diyo- 

 bati's piibcsccns). 



It was noticeble that early in the 

 season, when the webs of the tent cat- 

 erpillar first appeared on the apple and 

 cherry trees, the orioles attacked them 

 and devoured a considerable number 

 of the hairy young larvte. A little 

 later, when the canker-worms became 

 more numerous, it seemed as if all the 

 birds in the neighborhood were intent 

 on eating canker-worms, neglecting to 

 a certain extent the hairy caterpillars. 

 The Cuckoos, however, seemed to 

 feed impartially on both the canker- 

 worm and the tent caterpillar. 



Birds from all quarters in the wood 

 and swamp, orchard and field, flocked 

 into the trees infested by canker-worms, 

 and there spent a considerable portion 

 of their time. In a short time the few 

 canker-worms remaining in the old or- 

 chard were apparently eaten by birds, 

 and the birds then directed their atten- 

 tion to the neighboring orchards, which 

 were swarming with the worms. It 

 soon became evident that these or- 

 chards would be. entirely stripped of 

 their leaves, while the old orchard re- 

 tained its full foliage. Thus it was 

 seen that the trees to which the Chick- 

 adees had been^'lured during the winter 

 had been so well protected that the 

 summer birds were able to destroy the 

 few remaining larvae, while the trees 

 at a distance from these contained so 

 many larvte that the birds were not 

 numerous enough to dispose of them 

 or to make any effective reduction in 

 their numbers. This apparently de- 

 monstrated the usefulness of the egg- 

 destroying winter birds, and showed 

 the wisdom of attracting them to the 

 orchard during the winter months. 

 Not only did nearly all species of birds 



in the neighborhood flock to the trees 

 infested by the canker-worms, but the 

 chickadees living in their retirement in 

 the woods came out to the orchards, 

 flying some distance to procure canker- 

 worms with which to feed their young, 

 and making regular trips to the infest- 

 ed trees day after day. 



On May i8 Mr. Bailey saw a female 

 chickadee carry twenty larvae to its 

 nest. They were apparently all can- 

 ker-worms but two, which were tent 

 caterpillars. Of this he is certain, for 

 he was within three yards of the nest 

 to which the larva; were taken. Later, 

 on May 31, he noticed the chickadees 

 feeding their young. It was evident 

 that a large portion of the food con- 

 sisted of canker-worms. The birds 

 each made a 3trip to the nest about 

 once in twelve minutes. The male 

 and female came at nearly the same 

 time and went away together. They 

 went in the direction of an orchard in- 

 fested by canker-worms. A few of 

 the larvae were dropped on the ground 

 at the nest and proved, on examina- 

 tion, to be canker-worms. 



The crow was also observed feeding 

 on the canker-worms. 



On May 22 the birds had nearly all 

 stopped feeding in the neighboring 

 woods and were in the orchards feed- 

 ing on canker-worms. 



Early in June, when the remaining 

 canker-worms had finished their trans- 

 formations and retired to the ground, 

 several species of bnds were again 

 noticed feeding their young on the 

 tent and other hairy caterpillars. Of 

 these, three species (both cuckoos and 

 the Baltimore oriole) seemed to be the 

 most useful. On May 17 a cuckoo 

 was seen to take eleven caterpillars 

 out of one nest. Mr. Bailey writes: 



