BIRDS DISTRIBUTING THE MOTH. 237 



and hollow trees have been found in which these spinning 

 caterpillars were very numerous. The caterpillars may be- 

 come attached to the feathers of birds which pass to and fro, 

 and in this way may be carried short distances. Yet the 

 danger of distribution by the accidental dropping of cater- 

 pillars by birds in flight does not appear to be so great as 

 that resulting from the dropping of caterpillars at the nest. 

 It occasionally happens that hairy caterpillars wriggle out of 

 the mouths of the young birds and are dropped into or below 

 the nests. 



Mr. Bailey saw an oriole take to its young a caterpillar so 

 large that the latter could not eat it. The young bird placed 

 its foot upon the caterpillar, and drawing backward ejected 

 and dropped it upon the ground. The old birds occasionally 

 dropped food at the nest. Mr. Bailey watched a pair of 

 chickadees bringing food to their young. They appeared to 

 fly about half a mile to an orchard infested with the canker- 

 worm, returning to the nest about once in twelve minutes 

 with food. These birds dropped a few of the canker-worms 

 just outside the nest. A new colony of moths was discov- 

 ered in Cambridge not far from a badly infested locality. 

 The appearance of the colony indicated that it was started 

 by crows, as the larvae were scattered all about in the vicinity 

 of the crows' nest. If several caterpillars of the same species 

 are dropped in this way, there is a strong probability of a 

 colony being formed in the vicinity of the nest. A bird may 

 overlook a few caterpillars near its nest, preferring to go 

 where caterpillars are plentiful rather than to search for them 

 where they are scarce. It is probable, then, that the bird 

 which is most useful in destroying caterpillars and which 

 feeds the largest number to its young will be the most likely 

 to aid in the distribution of the moth. The danger of dis- 

 tribution would probably be greater in the case of the larger 

 species of birds, were it not that a caterpillar seized in the 

 bill of a crow would be more likely to be seriously injured 

 than one taken in the bill of a small bird. The danger of 

 distribution to distances of much more than half a mile by 

 birds in this way does not seem to be great. 



Mr. Bailey watched a catbird taking food to her young. 

 She flew back and forth about four times an hour. He 



