132 USEFUL BIRDS. 



were small tufts of grass growing out of the water. I took a Ijranch 

 from an apple tree, put twenty -four tent caterpillars on it, and stuck it 

 up in the mud on their feeding grounds. I went away and was gone 

 twenty-five minutes, and when I came back the male was looking the 

 branch over. On examining the branch, I found but two caterpillars 

 left. They had crawled to the under side of the branch, and were well 

 concealed by leaves. At the apple tree witli the brown-tail larvte there 

 were three species of bii'ds seen to feed : Oriole, Robin, and Black and 

 White Warbler. The Oriole came three times during the afternoon, 

 and took fourteen the first time in six minutes, twenty-seven the second 

 time in eight minutes, and ten the last time in three minutes. The 

 Robin came but once, and took over thirty and staged but little over 

 four minutes. The Black and White Warbler took twelve while in 

 sight, but was on. the opposite side of the trunk and branches at least 

 half the time, and stayed nine minutes. The first took most of his 

 fi-om the leaves, the second from the upper sides of the horizontal 

 branches, and the last from the bark crevices of the upright trunk. 



May 11. — A pair of Blue Jays came to the apple tree and took 

 forty-seven of the brown-tail larvae. They were in the tree eighteen 

 minutes. A Robin came and picked off four brown-tail larva3 and ate 

 them, then flew away. A Black and Wliite Warbler ate fifteen brown- 

 tail larvae ; stayed about ten minutes. A pair of Chestnut-sided War- 

 blers came to the apj^le trees and ate cankerworms for about twenty 

 minutes. They must have eaten a great many, as they were pecking 

 all the time, but were behind the leaves a part of the time, so I could 

 not see the number. A Parula Warbler also came to the tree and ate 

 the cankerworms, then went to the wild clieriy tree and ate five tent 

 caterpillars. I counted seven Yellow Warblers at one time in two 

 apple trees, and they were all eating cankerworms. One of them went 

 to the cherry tree and ate three tent caterpillars that were on the out- 

 side of the web. Several Golden-winged Warblers came to the orchard 

 and ate cankerworms, but they were very shy. A Nashville Warbler 

 ate eight of the tent caterpillars, and stayed only three minutes. The 

 Yellow-throats were in the apple trees nearly all the forenoon, and 

 were busy most of the time eating the small cankerworms. I did not 

 see them trouble the tent caterpillars. 



Cankerworms and gipsy moth caterpillars were now hatch- 

 ing in some numbers, and the birds could take their choice. 



May 12. — There was a large flight of Warblers this morning. On 

 first arriving at the orchard I found the trees literally alive with them. 

 There were Golden-winged, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Parula, Black and 

 White, Nashville, Yellow-throated, and others that I was not sure of. 

 They would stop but a moment in any one place, l)ut were chasing each 

 other from tree to tree, and were all singing in chorus. I saw all of 



