100 The Food of Birds. 



food of the month. Four birds are to be credited with the 

 thirty per cent, of caterpillars destroyed. About two- 

 thirds of these were cutworms, among which Agrotis mes- 

 sorla,* was recognized. A few were the larvas of Arctiidae, 

 probably Oallimorpha. Eighteen per cent, of the food, eaten 

 by seven of the birds, was made up of Ooleoptera, two- 

 thirds of which were scavenger beetles {Aphodius Hmetari, 

 us and A. ingtdnatus). Oarabidge and their larvae made 

 but two per cent, of the food. Harpalus was the only genus 

 distinguished. A few Histeridag, a few wireworms (lar- 

 val Elateridae), a soldier-beetle {Telephorusbilineatus), 

 and traces of long-snouted curculiosf were the remaining 

 beetles. Hemiptera were found in somewhat larger num- 

 ber and variety than in the preceding month. Among these 

 were the raptatorial species, Coriscus ferus., and also Phy- 

 tocorus lineolarus^ Cmnus delius and Euschistus servus. 

 The soldier-bugs (Pentatomidae) made about two-thirds of 

 the three per cent, of Hemiptera taken in this month. 

 Grasshoppers were present in about the same amount as 

 before, and the same species appeared in the food. A few 

 spiders and thousand-legs and berries of sumach {Rhus 

 glabra) complete the list. The large percentages of cut- 

 worms, Bibio larvc© and dung-beetles are thus seen to be 

 the principal features of the food of these birds. Exclud- 

 ing the Bibionidae, about thirty-seven per cent, of the food 

 was composed of injurious insects and six per cent, of ben- 

 eficial species. 



Ap ril. 



I The robin is represented in my notes of this month by 

 seventeen birds shot at Normal, Warsaw, Elizabeth and 

 Hanover (Jo Daviess county), Waukegan and Evanston, 

 at various dates between the 2d and 27th. The high insect 

 averages are maintained. Caterpillars are nearly as abun- 



*A11 the cutworms but one mentioned in this paper were determined 

 by Prof. Riley. 



fl have used throughout this paper the somewhat artificial divisions 

 of Longirostres and Brevirostres as applied to the Rhyncophora, because 

 nearly all the especially injurious species belong to the former section. 

 In fact, I have not hesitated to use an obsolete classification wherever 

 the groups thus formed correspond better to the differences of food habit 

 or of economic value than those made by the highest modern authori- 

 ties. 



