BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 247 



county where this species resides in summer, many farmers protect 

 them because they are great destroyers of " potato bugs." A gentle- 

 man residing 1 , 1 think, near Meadville, stated at a recent meeting- of our 

 State Board, that he had often seen these birds in small flocks about his 

 potato patch, eagerly devouring large numbers of these vexatious insects. 

 Few, if any, of our birds are known to feed reg-ularly on the Colorado 

 potato-beetle, and as the Rose-breasted Grosbeak has developed a taste 

 in this direction, it should justly rank as one of the best feathered 

 friends of the farmer. My personal knowledge of the food-habits of this 

 species is limited to examinations made in May, 1882, when these birds 

 were, to my great surprise, exceedingly abundant in the woods through- 

 out various parts of Chester, Lancaster, Franklin, Adams, Delaware and 

 Philadelphia counties. All the birds examined by me were shot in 

 woods, feeding mostly on hickory and beech trees, in the neighborhood 

 of West Chester, Penna. May 11, six males, on hickory trees, food 

 consisted entirely of blossoms. May 12, thirteen birds, eight males, 

 three on hickory trees, others on beech trees. All showed blossoms ; 

 two contained blossoms of the hickory, with those of the beech ; the 

 remainder had all fed on beech blossoms, except three birds, which had 

 in their gizzards small black seeds and some few flat grayish seeds. 

 May 13, eleven birds, seven males, all contained blossoms of beech, in 

 addition to which, two males revealed remains of beetles and one of 

 them had also eaten a few flies. May 15, eleven birds, ten males, three 

 taken on beech and maple trees, had only fed on blossoms ; the others 

 were found, when first discovered, feeding- on the ground in the woods ; 

 the stomach of one contained simply fragments of a beetle, the rest had 

 eaten blossoms and small seeds. May 16, three males, food exclusively 

 blossoms. May 17, four birds, three females, chiefly blossoms and small 

 seeds, with few larvae, and fragments of beetles. May 19, two birds ; 

 male, beech blossoms ; female had in her gizzard, blossoms, remains of 

 beetles and several wasps. May 20, 23 to 27, inclusive, eleven birds, 

 nine females ; two males taken on the 20th had fed chiefly on beetles 

 and a few flat cylindrical seeds ; the remaining- nine specimens were shot 

 on various dates, the last being taken on the 27th, when they were found 

 to be very scarce. An examination of their viscera showed that in ad- 

 dition to blossoms and small seeds, they all had fed to a small extent on 

 insects, chiefly beetles and flies. 



GENUS GUIRACA SWAINSON. 

 Guiraca caerulea (LINN.). 



Blue Grosbeak. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Bill large and stout like other Grosbeaks ; bill dark-bluish black ; legs and feet 

 similar; male blue ; brightest on head and darker across middle of back ; feathers 

 about base of bill, lores, wings and tail blackish ; middle and greater wing-coverts 



