FOOD OF WEST VIBGINIA BIBDS 67 



the other half is made up of fruit, one-third of which is of the cultivated 

 varieties such as cherries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. 

 During the past summer I have found these birds feeding upon sweet 

 cherries, sour cherries, wild goose plums, raspberries, currants and 

 strawberries. Of the wild fruits I have seen them feeding upon at least 

 fifteen varieties. The Catbird is very fond of the wild mulberry and I 

 have seen birds make as many as twelve trips to a single tree within 

 half an hour. The other wild fruits upon which I have seen the Catbird 

 feeding are the wild black cherry, holly, service berry, blackberry, 

 common elder berry, red elder berry, barberry, sassafras, frost grape, 

 flowering dogwood, silky dogwood, poke berry, Virginia creeper, and 

 common greenbrier. In most cases these fruits are swallowed whole by 

 the Catbirds and the seeds, of course, are scattered far and near. Con- 

 sidering these facts, I think we must conclude that the Catbird is our 

 friend rather than our enemy and should be protected. 



The Brown Thrasher is a large brown bird with speckled breast. 

 Sometimes it is called "Mockingbird" in certain sections of our State. 

 The name is not inappropriate, for this bird is as truly a mocker as the 

 far-famed Mockingbird. It is common in most parts of West Virginia 

 but rather rare in the mountains. The food of this species is made up 

 of fruits of various kinds and insects. A few of the insects it destroys 

 are beneficial ones, but the larger part of them are harmful ones., The 

 Brown Thrasher has been accused of pulling young corn stalks, and the 

 charge may be true. It is well-known that some cultivated fruits are 

 destroyed by this bird and that occasionally grain is eaten. However 

 as Prof. Beal says, "Taken all in all, the Brown Thrasher is a useful 

 bird". 



Wrens. 



The Wren family is exceedingly interesting because of the friendly 

 ways, the alert dispositions and the musical ability which they possess. 

 Where the Wrens abound they go searching through every cranny and 

 crevice of our out-buildings, along fence-rows and in the thickets and 

 piles of logs and brush. No place where larvae lurk or where the eggs 

 or pupae of insects may be hidden away is left unexplored. As regards 

 food habits all the Wrens are entirely beneficial. Of our five species 

 one, the large Carolina Wren, remains here throughout the entire year; 

 two, the Bewick's WSren and the House Wren, are summer residents; 

 one, the Winter Wren, comes only in the winter in most sections of the 

 State, though in the higher mountain regions it remains throughout the 

 year, while the remaining species, the Long-billed Marsh Wren, is so 

 rare that it need not be discussed at all. East of the Alleghenies the 

 House Wren is most common and west of the mountains the Bewick's 

 Wren is the prevailing species. All these Wrens are insect eaters and 

 should be protected most carefully. 



Nuthatches. 

 We have two species of birds that spend their entire time exploring 



