FOOD OF WEST VIRGINIA BIRDS 57 



"Southern Bee Bird," and is said to destroy a great many honey bees. 

 Otherwise its food is of such a character as to be helpful to those who 

 depend in any way upon forest products. The Summer Tanager is 

 found chiefly in the southern part of the State and does not occur in 

 the mountainous sections. The Scarlet Tanager is common in mountains 

 and in the lowlands alike. Wherever there are large forested sections 

 this bird of flaming plumage may be found diligently about its work 

 among the trees. It has been called the guardian of the oaks, since 

 it gathers much of its food from the oak trees. Many large moths such as 

 Catocalas, Cecropias and Lunas are eaten by these birds.-and they do 

 good service in the destruction of many kinds of caterpillars and wood- 

 boring and bark-boring beetles and weevils. Prof. Forbush says that 

 they are almost entirely insectivorous and suggests that they eat very 

 little fruit. However, during the past summer and fall I found these 

 birds feeding upon the following cultivated and wild fruits sweet cherry, 

 wild black cherry, bird cherry, black mulberry, service berry and black- 

 berry. 



Swallows. 



The Swallows are the special guardians of the air. Every one is 

 familiar with the graceful flight of these little birds as they go about 

 seeking their insect food or go coursing through the air for the real 

 pleasure of it. Almost all our Swallows are of metallic coloring, though 

 the Bank Swallow and Rough-winged Swallow are dull grayish brown 

 above and lighter underneath. The Barn Swallow may be identified by 

 his long forked tail, the Cliff Swallows by his strange nest, the Tree 

 Swallow by his pure white breast, while the Purple Martin needs no 

 introduction for even the children know this semi-domestic bird. All 

 the Swallows are insectivorous, and great numbers of insects are 

 destroyed by them. It is said that the Purple Martins eat great num- 

 bers of the harmful striped cucumber beetle. As the Barn Swallows fly 

 over the meadows and pastures they eat the moths of many species 

 of small cutworms that feed upon the grass. Cliff Swallows feed on the 

 pests of grass lands and cranberry bogs. All Swallows are beneficial 

 birds. In the south these birds are especialy destructive to the cotton 

 boll weevil. This fact alone makes them of very great econnmic worth. 



Cedar Bird. 



As the two common names, "Cherry Bird" and "Cedar Bird," indicate 

 the Cedar Waxwing is fond of fruit. When the first cultivated sweet 

 cherries begin to ripen the Cedar Birds usually come in considerable 

 number and often eat quantities of the fruit. Other fruits eaten by this 

 bird are the cultivated sour cherries, and strawberries. A few years 

 ago some strawberry beds in Lewis County were frequented by the 

 Cedar Birds and great quantities of the berries eaten. Of wild fruits 

 I have seen these birds eating the berries of the black gum, wild black 

 cherry, bird cherry, service berry, black mulberry, black haw, hack- 

 berry, sassafras, flowering dogwood, poke berry and common elder berry. 



