148 SAND^RSOi^, Food o/ N'/ii/iaic/ies afid Chickadees. I April 



Neuroptera: Perlidas, 23 in Nos. 32, 31, 43, 51 and 52; Libellulidse, 

 I in No. 45. Winter, 9 adults; spring, 17 adults. Total Neuroptera 

 — 26 in 7 stomachs. 



Hemiptera : Tingitidze. Piesma cineria. — 37 adults in 8 stomachs; 

 Reduviidse, 22 eggs in Nos. 11 and 24; Coreidie, 2 adults in No. 10; 

 Jassidffi, 7 adults in Nos. ij- and 45. Winter — 46 adults, 21 eggs; 

 spring, 5 adults. Total Hemiptera • — adults, 51 ; eggs, 21 ; in 13 stomachs. 



Orthoptera : 4 in Nos. 8 and 10 (winter), Nos. 45 and 48 (spring.) 



Total Insect Forms — Winter, loi adults, i pupa, 22 larvse, 21 eggs; 

 spring, 60 adults. Adults, 161; pupae, i; larvse, 22; eggs, 21; =215. 

 Ai-achnida, 7. Winter, 4 ; spring, 3. 



A glance at the list will show that almost no well known injuri- 

 ous insects were found, the most common noxious form being 

 Piesma cineria., which never does any considerable injury. As 

 mentioned, one stomach contained a Myrmica sp ? which possibly 

 may be considered noxious. On the other hand, a large number 

 of beneficial forms, such as Braconids, Reduviids and Carabids 

 were found, and many that may be considered neutral as Perlidae — 

 and even those might be considered as valuable in the larval stage 

 for fish food. 



Thus it is seen that the insect food is taken more or less indis- 

 criminately and that the beneficial forms fully equal those more 

 or less injurious, while there were none found feeding upon any 

 insect pest. 



Habits. 



The birds are invariably found in pairs ; in only one instance 

 did I find half a dozen together on a river bank, which doubtless 

 were several pairs. The timber in this neighborhood consists of 

 small lots of a few acres and each of these will ordinarily be 

 occupied by only one pair of Nuthatches. They invariably feed 

 upon rough barked trees ; half of my specimens being taken on 

 elms, with almost equal parts of the majority of the remainder on 

 ash and oak. Three specimens were secured in an old apple 

 orchard quite distant from any dwellings, and no others were 

 found around fruit trees, possibly on account of the aforesaid 

 preference for rough barked trees. 



