THE OOLOGIST 



171 



stomachs, and none was expected, for 

 I do not know of one observer who has 

 taken the trouble to closely follow the 

 habits of these birds, who has been 

 guilty of charging them with even an 

 occasional departure from an insect 

 diet. 



Nearly one-half of the insects con- 

 suoaed are grass-hoppers and beetles, 

 and the other half is about equally 

 divided among the bugs, spiders and 

 caterpillars. Among the beetles, the 

 ground varieties form about six per 

 cent , and the weevils rank next in im- 

 portance. Indeed during July they ap- 

 proach eleven per cent. Only about 

 half as many dung beetles are consum- 

 •ed, as weevils are not eaten at all after 

 May, when these beetles are of most 

 value from an economic standpoint. 

 Among the other varieties, which were 

 found in only small quantities or oc- 

 -casionally, may be mentioned, beetles 

 of the firefly group, leaf beetles, click 

 and rove beetles. 



'due bird had eaten a longicorn 

 beetle." From the examination above 

 spoken of it was found that during the 

 month of Auj^ust, the grass-hoppers 

 reached a maxium of sixty per cent., to 

 the exclusion of some of the heretofore 

 most common kinds of insects. Of this 

 sixty per cent, the common and green 

 grass-hoppers and insects formed the 

 bulk, and as the bird continues to eat 

 Insects after the fruit ripens we can not 

 but make a most favorable comparison 

 between it and the bird of our last 

 paper, Oaleoscoptes carolinensis. 



Among the bugs consumed by the 

 House Wren are many of the plant 

 feeding and leaf hopping varieties. 



The stink bug [Pentatoniidae) is also 

 consumed in large numbers. Plant 

 lice are occasionaly eaten. The large 

 number of daddy-long-legs which this 

 bird devours, is however, from a strict- 

 ly economic standpoint, somewhat det- 

 rimental, as they are known to feed 

 upon aphids. "Very few flies were 



found in the stomachs, owing no doubt 

 to the fact that these insects are more 

 difficult to capture than the others. 

 But few wasps were found. 



In conclusion I can do no better than 

 to quote "verbatim," from the excellent 

 paper of Mr. Sylvester D. Judd, Assist- 

 ant Ornithologist to the Department of 

 Agriculture. 



"From the foregoing detailed account 

 of the Wren's food, it is obvious that 

 the bird is very beneficial to agricul- 

 ture. Such insectivorous birds should 

 be encouraged. It is a pity that the 

 quarrelsome English sparrow can not 

 be exterminated, for if in the place of 

 every dozen English Sparrows, there 

 was one House Wren, our churches 

 would present a more sightly appear- 

 ance, while the yield of the crops of the 

 country would be greatly increased. 

 At Cambridge, Mass., the sparrow has 

 driven »the Wren away by occupying 

 the nesting boxes. This is true to a 

 certain extent wherever the two birds 

 have met, To secure the services of 

 the wren, the farmer must put up nest- 

 ing boxes and declare war on the spar- 

 row." 



TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF STOBIACHS 

 AND PER CENT. OF FOOD. 



Number of stomachs examined 52 



Per cent, of animal food. 



Ants 4 



Caterpillars 16 



Beetles 22 



Grasshoppers 25 



Bugs 12 



Spiders, Thousand-legs, etc 14 



Miscellaneous .... 5 



Total animal food 98 



Miscellaneous vegetable food 2 



Total 100 



Nestingf of the Coppery -tailed Trogon. 



One of my collectors has recently sent 

 me several sets of eggs of the Coppery- 

 tailed Trogon, and as they are quite 

 rare 1 thought your readers might be in- 

 terested in his letter describing the tak- 



