298 ENTOMOLOGY 
Hairs.—‘ Excepting two species of cuckoos, no species of 
bird in the eastern United States, so far as | am aware, makes 
a business of feeding upon hairy caterpillars.” Judd observed 
that Hyphantria cunca infesting a pear tree was not at all 
molested, in spite of the fact that the tree was tenanted by 
three broods of birds at the time, namely, kingbirds, orchard 
oricles and English sparrows. The hairy arctiid caterpillars, 
however, are eaten by a few birds: the robin, bluebird, catbird, 
sparrow-hawk, cuckoos and shrikes; and the spiny larve of 
Vanessa antiopa by cuckoos and the Baltimore oriole; while the 
hairy caterpillars of the gypsy moth are known to be eaten in 
Massachusetts by no less than thirty-one species of birds, 
notably cuckoos, Baltimore oriole, catbird, chickadee, blue-jay, 
chipping sparrow, robin, vireos and the crow, these birds be- 
ing of no little assistance in the suppression of this pest. 
These are exceptional cases, however, and in general the hairi- 
ness of caterpillars appears to be a highly effective protection 
against most birds. 
Stings.—Some birds (chewink, young ducks) are fatally 
affected by eating honey bees. ‘The blue-jays, however, will 
eat Bombus and Nylocopa, and flycatchers and swallows feed 
habitually upon stinging Hymenoptera, particularly Scolide, 
while a great many birds eat Myrmicidz, or stinging ants. 
The formic acid of ants does not protect them from wholesale 
destruction by birds; Judd found three thousand ants in the 
stomach of a flicker. “‘ Stingless ants pretend to sting but 
many birds they do not deceive.” The stinging caterpillar of 
Automeris io is occasionally eaten by the yellow-billed cuckoo. 
Aside from these exceptions, however, the stings of insects are 
an extremely efficient means of defence. 
Odors, Flavors and Irritants.—The malodorous Heterop- 
tera in general are food for most birds; Lygus, Reduviidee and 
Pentatomidee are eaten by song sparrows, and Euschistus by 
blackbirds and crows. The odors of Heteroptera are by no 
means universally protective. 
Among Coleoptera, the showy, ill-scented or ill-flavored 
