FOOD OF WEST VIRGI.MA BIBDS 65 



Yellow-breasted Chat that feed largely among the smaller trees and 

 bushes. There are also the tree-loving Warblers such as the Blue-winged, 

 Nashville, Tennessee, Cerulean, Black-poll, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, 

 Pine and Redstart. All these have their favorite food and do their 

 great part in the preservation of our forests. I have made records on 

 the fruit-eating habits of a few of these species, though most of them 

 live almost altogether on insect food. The Cape-May Wfcrbler, the Ten- 

 nessee Warbler, the Magnolia Warbler and the Black-throated Blue 

 Warbler have been seen eating the fruit of the cultivated grape. I 

 have observed the Bay-breasted Warbler eating the fruit of the Flowering 

 Dogwood, and last fall I saw the rare Wilson's Warbler feeding upon 

 the fruit of the wild black cherry. While in the mountains last summer 

 Orr R. King, my assistant, saw the Magnolia Warbler, Cairn's Warbler 

 and Maryland Yellow-throat feeding upon the fruits of the red elder 

 berry. No doubt these little birds do a great service in sowing broad- 

 cast the seeds of many fruit-bearing shrubs and trees that quickly spring 

 up after a woodland is cut over or burned and thus aid in reforestation. 

 Many of the seeds of the "Bird'' Cherry or wild cherry are scattered 

 by the Warblers. I have seen great flocks of these birds feeding on the 

 red, insipid fruit of these trees. Every one who has studied forest con- 

 ditions in West Virginia knows how important is the part of this species 

 of wild cherry in the reforesting of our mountain regions now so rapidly 

 being stripped of their immense virgin forests by fires, lumbermen and 

 other destructive agencies. If for nothing else than their great worth 

 as seed sowers the Warblers should be protected. 



