THE WINTER FOOD OF THE CHICKADEE 93 



disstria}\ adult flies (Diptera), .06; puparia of flies, .09; lepidopter- 

 ous pupae, .05 ; insects undetermined, .27 ; seed of Polygonaceae, .02 \ 

 bud scales .01 ; undetermined material, .13. 



No. 3. Stomach full. E«<gs of aphides, .35 ; spider eggs and web, 

 .22 ; larvae, believed to be those of the codling moth, .12 ; other lepi- 

 dopterous larvae, .06 ; undetermined insects, .09 ; insect larvae, .03 : 

 spider, .04; bud scales, .03; undetermined material, .06. 



No. 4. Eggs of American tent Q2i\.tx^]\\A.x (^Clisiocampa Ainej'icaiia), 

 .06; spider, .16; cocoon of spider, .11; aphid eggs, .04; eggs of fall 

 canker worm, .02 ; beetles. .03 ; sumach fruits, .44 ; bud scales, .08 ; 

 undetermined material, .06. 



No. 5. A large noctuid larva, .44; insect eggs (Reduviidae?), 19; 

 aphid eggs, .06; insect larvae, .08; sumach fruits, .07; bud scales^ 

 .06; undetermined material, .10. 



The next specimen was taken March 11 at 10:30 a. m. in a growth 

 of birch. It contained: aphid eggs, .24; geometrid larva, .12; beetles, 

 .09; hymenopterous cocoons, .12; spiders and their web, .09; lich- 

 ens, .05 ; bud scales, .11 ; and undetermined material, .18. 



On March 26th a chickadee was shot at 8 :30 a. m. It was one of 

 a flock that was apparently emerging for the first time that day from 

 a small grove thickly set with pine trees. There was very little food 

 in the stomach, all of which appeared to be undigested material from 

 the food of the day before. The only recognizable elements were bud 

 scales, spider's silk and pieces of the legs of insects and spiders. 



On March 26th, five chickadees were shot in a sugar orchard, and in 

 apple trees near by. One of them had in its bill when killed the 

 abdomen and part of the wings of the moth represented natural size in 

 Fig. 10 and known to entomologists as Scopeloso7iia indi?'ecta. 



The food contents of these specimens were as follows : 



No. I. — Moth, .90 [Scopelosomd) ; eggs, probably from the abdomen 

 of moth, .02 ; aphid eggs, .02 ; cocoon of spider, .03 ; undetermined, .03. 



No, 2. — Moth, .27: beetles, .12; spiders, .14; small white ^g^^ of 

 an insect, .01; small hymenopterous insect, .01; bark, .12; undeter- 

 mined vegetable tissue, .26; feathers, .or ; undetermined material, .06. 



No. 3. — Noctuid moth, .61; bug (^RediiviidcE) , .03: spider, .16; 

 web of spider, 04 ; undetermined arthropods, .12; undetermined veg- 

 etable matter, .04. 



No. 4. — Three insect larvae, probably lepidopterous, .28; small 

 beetles, .05 ; bark-lice [CoccidcE] , apparently oyster-shell bark-louse 

 {^Mytilaspis p07nanun'), .01 ; aphid eggs, .01 : spider, .06; bud scales, 

 .23; bark, .14; undetermined vegetable matter, .22. 



No. 5. — Two lepidopterous larvae, .38; lepidopterous pupa, .32: 

 dipterous larvae .14; undetermined adult arthropods, .08; lichen, .or ; 

 bud scales, .02; undetermined vegetable matter, .03; feather, .02. 



The last specimens of the winter were taken by Mr. Dearborn at 

 11.00 a. m. on March 29th. They were feeding near the ends of high 

 branches of a large chestnut tree at Northfield, Merrimack Co., New 

 Hampshire. Apparently comparatively little food had been taken that 

 morning, the stomach of the first specimen containing 44 per cent, of 

 bud scales, probably largely left over from the day before, and 30 per 



