BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



Of the bark beetles one ornithologist says: 

 "These beetles' eggs are soon deposited and 

 the resulting larvae bore away among the vital 

 tissue of the tree along the inner surface of the 

 bark. If their increase is not checked a year 

 or two of their work is sufficient to destroy the 

 noblest tree of the forest. The Warblers, how- 

 ever, attack these borers as they mature and 

 emerge from their burrows. In an orchard 

 they are invaluable. The Black and White 

 Warbler, which is so often seen on the tree 

 trunks in the summer, is the greatest destroyer 

 of borers, though others also eat them." 



VIREOS 



Another family not unlike the Warblers are 

 the Vireos. The family, however, is much 

 smaller, consisting of only six members. Only 

 three of these have ever been seen here, though 

 the others may appear in other parts. Like the 

 Warblers they work chiefly among the leaves 

 and branches of the trees. They are constant 

 singers and always hunting for food, for their 

 appetites seem insatiable. We have frequently 

 watched a Vireo in a willow tree by the house 

 catch and devour a caterpillar without losing a 

 [69] 



