126 USEFUL BIRDS. 



fine themselves to any one tree, and would dart about in such a manner, 

 taking insects on the wing, flies, moths, winged plant lice, etc., that one 

 could not keep count of what they ate. A male Chewink came to a 

 tent caterpillars' nest that was on a wild cherry, and he was eating the 

 caterpillars. When I made a movement to enable me to see more 

 plainly, he flew away. 



MAY 31, 1898. I went to Rural Avenue, Medford. During the first 

 hour the birds were very plentiful, but by 9 A.M. there were but few 

 there. There was a family of Crows in the place all the time, but they 

 were in the tops of the pine trees, therefore I could not see what they 

 were feeding their young, but could hear their feeding cries very fre- 

 quently. A Blue Jay was carrying food to her young. I got near 

 enough to see her take two gipsy larvae and carry them away. A 

 Wood Thrnsh was singing in the bushes near the water. I got near 

 enough to see him picking larvae from the leaves. He took five gipsy 

 larvae after I came in sight ; the cracking of a twig caused him to fly 

 away. The Catbird was present, as usual, first eating larvae (both 

 gipsy and other species), then perching on the top of the highest bush 

 and singing with all its might, now and then throwing in a fairly good 

 imitation of the "caw" of the Crow. A new bird now made his ap- 

 pearance. He was of a bluish color, and was seen picking plant lice 

 before I was certain of his identity. He then took a short flight to the 

 oak sprouts, revealing his yellow back. This Parula Warbler ate three 

 small gipsy caterpillars and four or five green larvae, and then flew 

 out of sight. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak ate plant lice, gipsy larvae, 

 gall insects, and took some kermes from a branch, cracking them with 

 his bill and dropping the shells to the ground. A Yellow-billed 

 Cuckoo came, and ate forty-one gipsy larvae in about fifteen minutes ; 

 she then flew away. On my way out of the woods I stopped at the 

 edge of the open to observe what birds were feeding on plant lice on 

 the birch trees. Some Indigo Birds were busy eating them, and while 

 I was looking I saw a Robin alight in the birches and pick up plant lice. 



JUNE 1, 1898. I went to the park near the Malden-Stoneham line, 

 and took up my position in a grove of small white birches and some 

 wild cherry trees with tent caterpillar nests on them. A Brown Thrush 

 came to the cherry trees and took five tent caterpillars from the outside 

 of the nest, and ate them. Several Chestnut-sided Warblers came to 

 the birches and were picking plant lice all the time they were there, 

 also larvaa of different kinds. They were coming and going all the 

 time I was in the place. A Chipping Sparrow remained in the birches 

 for sixteen minutes, and ate plant lice and green larvae during that 

 time. A Flicker alighted on an oak tree and took two forest tent cater- 

 pillars from the trunk. He also took insects from the crevices of the 

 bark. A Wood Pewee alighted on a dead branch, and took moths, flies, 

 and plant lice on the wing. An Oriole came four times, and each time 

 took a tent caterpillar from the nest to his young. An Indigo Bird came 



