318 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Purple finch, 

 Red-winged blackbird, 

 Baltimore oriole, 

 American goldfinch, 

 Chipping sparrow, 

 Field sparrow, 

 Bobolink, 

 Tovvhee, 



Rose-breasted grosbeak, 

 Lidigo bunting. 

 Chickadee, 

 Scarlet tanager. 

 Red-eyed vireo. 

 Yellow-throated vireo, 



Black-and-white warbler, 

 Myrtle warbler, 

 Parula warbler,. 

 Yellow warbler. 

 Black-throated blue warbler, 

 Magnolia warbler. 

 Chestnut-sided warbler, 

 Maryland yellow-throat, 

 Black-throated green Avarbler, 

 Oven bird, 

 American redstart, 

 Catbird, 



White-ljreasted nuthatch, 

 American robin. 



A glance over the list of birds given above as feeding on 

 the different species of caterpillars will show that some of the 

 birds which are believed by many people to be harmful occur 

 in all these lists. The crow eats many caterpillars and more 

 pupge. The despised jay, which certainly ma}^ do much harm 

 by destroying the eggs and young of smaller birds, is one of 

 the most valuable birds we have in some respects, being a 

 most persistent hunter of the caterpillars, pupce and eggs of 

 some of the most injurious moths. The oriole, which has a 

 taste for fruit, is a gourmand for caterpillars, and the robin 

 and catbird, much decried by fruit growers, feed on nearly 

 all species of injurious caterpillars of the orchard or wood- 

 land. The cuckoos are always and everywhere present with 

 the caterpillars, and by many are believed to head the list 

 of caterpillar destroyers ; but in woodlands there are no 

 birds more useful in this respect than the beautiful scarlet 

 tanagers or the busy chickadees. Of all the warljlers the 

 redstart seems to be the most indefjitigal)le in pursuit of 

 caterpillars, capturing even the most repugnant species. 

 The lists of birds feeding on the different species are not 

 believed to be complete by any means. Most of them prob- 

 ably attack the hairy and spiny species, the smaller birds 

 taking them mainly when the caterpillars are small and the 

 larger birds when they grow larger. 



