No. 4.] BIRDS AS PROTECTORS OF ORCHARDS. 357 



of the tent caterpillar first appeared on the apple and cherry 

 trees, the orioles attacked them and devoured a considerable 

 number of the hairy young larvae. A little later, when the 

 canker-worms became more numerous, it seemed as if all 

 the birds in the neighborhood were intent on eating canker- 

 worms, neglecting to a certain extent the hairy caterpillars. 

 The cuckoos, however, seemed to feed impartially on both 

 the canker-worm and the tent caterpillar. 



Birds from all quarters in the wood and swamp, orchard 

 and field, flocked into the trees infested by canker-worms, 

 and there spent a considerable portion of their time. In a 

 short time the few canker-worms which hatched from eggs 

 remaining in the old orchard were apparently eaten by birds, 

 and the birds then directed their attention to the neighbor- 

 ing orchards, which were swarming with the worms. It 

 soon became evident that these orchards would be entirely 

 stripped of their leaves, while the old orchard retained its 

 full foliage. Thus it was seen that the trees to which the 

 chickadees had been lured during the winter had been so 

 well protected that the summer birds were able to destroy 

 the few remaining larva?, while the trees at a distance from 

 these contained so many larva? that the birds were not 

 numerous enough to dispose of them or to make any effec- 

 tive reduction in their numbers. This apparently demon- 

 strated the usefulness of the egg-destroying winter birds, 

 and showed the wisdom of attracting them to the orchard 

 during the winter months. Not only did nearly all species 

 of birds in the neighborhood flock to the trees infested by 

 the canker-worms, but the chickadees living in their retire- 

 ment in the woods came out to the orchards, flying some 

 distance to procure canker-worms with which to feed their 

 young, and making regular trips to the infested trees day 

 after day. 



On May 18 Mr. Bailey saw a female chickadee cany 

 twenty larvae to its nest. They were apparently all canker- 

 worms but two, which were tent caterpillars. Of this he is 

 quite certain, for he was within three yards of the nest to 

 which the larvae were taken. Later, on May 31, he noticed 

 the chickadees feeding their young. It was evident thai a 



