352 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Heniiptera, the squash bugs, plant lice and scale insects ; with 

 hardly an exception all injurious. 



The Orthoptera, which embraces grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, 

 katydids, roaches. 



Diptera or flies, including both injurious and beneficial forms. 



Neuroptera, lace winged flies, etc. 



Odonota, dragon flies. 



The above includes the leading order of insects. Besides these 

 we have the allied forms : 



Myfiapoda, including the centipedes and the thousand legged 

 worms. i 



Arachnida, including the spiders, mites, ticks and scorpions, not 

 insects, of course, although sometimes spoken of as such. 



Taking up first the robin, we find that specimens were shot by 

 one observer on May 13, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 30th, and the contents of 

 their stomachs carefully examined. The total average percentages 

 of the food of all examined was as follows : mollusca, i per cent ;, 

 insects,40 percent, and of these insects 7 per cent were undetermined, 

 27 per cent consisted of Lepidoptera. Of this 27 per cent, 18 per 

 cent were cutworms and i per cent canker worms. Of beetles, the 

 beneficial ground beetles represented 2 per cent, and the injurious 

 curculio I per cent ; of thousand-legged and kindred worms there 

 was 3 per cent ; of earthworms 20 per cent and of vegetation, such as 

 grass, there was 33 per cent. 



It is evident that unless we can secure specimens of birds through 

 the season we have not sufficient data upon which to base our final 

 judgment. In other words, the time through which the above ob- 

 servations ran was too limited to afiford sufificient evidence. 



In the case of the bluebird we find that the same scientist pro- 

 cured specimens on June ist and 2d, and the total average percent- 

 ages were as follows : small mollusca, snails, etc., i per cent ; in- 

 sects, 78 per cent — of these 21 per cent were undetermined. 57 per 

 cent of the insects belonged to Lepidoptera, of which 37 per cent 

 were cutworms ; of dragon flies there were 4 per cent, of spiders and 

 eggs there were 16 pe* cent, of vegetation i per cent.' 30 per cent of 

 cutworms is a good record in two days feeding. But the question 

 arises, would the 16 per cent of spiders, had they been allowed to 

 live, have killed more injurious insects than did the bluebird? Again 

 we must say that thcji examination of the stomach contents of the 

 bluebird for two days in June is hardly sufificient evidence upon 

 which to base our verdict. 



Of blackbirds specimens were secured as follows : two on May 

 22 and and one on May 26. The average food percentages were, mol- 

 lusca I per cent, insects 89 per cent; of these ^sects 33 per cent 

 were undetermined. Of these undetermined insects 24 per cent 



