No. 4.] BIRDS AND CATERPILLARS. 323 



Birds feeding on the Tent Caterpillars. 



May 9. — A golden-winged warbler ate 14 caterpillars very rapidly. 

 May 10. — A red-winged blackbird ate 22 caterpillars in twenty-five 



minutes. 

 May 10. — A Baltimore oriole ate 14 caterpillars in six minutes, 27 in 



eight minutes and 10 in three minutes. 

 May 10. — A robin ate 30 caterpillars in a trifle over four minutes. 

 May 10. — A black-and-white warbler ate 12 caterpillars in a very short 



time, and fed for nine minutes, though not in plain view. 

 May 11. — A Nashville warbler ate 8 caterpillars in three minutes. 

 May 15. — A Baltimore oriole ate 15 caterpillars from a web in a very 



short time, and 9 more twenty minutes later. 



Birds feeding on the Forest Tent Caterpillars. 

 Although the forest tent caterpillars have appeared recently 

 in enormous hordes in many sections of New England and 

 some adjacent States, they have not been numerous in eastern 

 Massachusetts, and there have been no such opportunities to 

 observe birds feeding upon them as have been presented with 

 the other three species. Incidentally, however, the ob- 

 servers have noted that birds were searchino; out and eatins; 

 the forest tent caterpillars, not merely taking them as they 

 came in their way, but where one was found they searched 

 for others, and ate them as they found them, carrying some 

 away, presumably to their young. From what has been seen 

 there seems little doubt that all those birds which eat the 

 other hairy caterpillars would also take those of the forest 

 tent caterpillars if they were numerous. 



Birds feeding their Young. 



During the observations made on the enemies of the gypsy 

 moth it was noted that many birds were carrying caterpillars 

 to their young, and birds were often seen to feed their young 

 with caterpillars, which in most instances were readily taken 

 by the young, although occasionally they were rejected. 

 The observations made on the tent caterpillar were mainly 

 made before there were young in the bird nests, but birds 

 feeding on the brown-tail moth caterpillars frequently took 

 them away.' 



Few detailed observations have been made as yet at the 

 nests. The following birds have been seen carrying hairy 



