18 BULLETIN" 280, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



proved that they thrive best when fed small quantities at short in- 

 tervals rather than greater quantities at longer periods. Aside from 

 the insects consumed by the parents, a brood of three young birds will 

 thus each require the destruction of at least 144 insects in a day and 

 probably a very much greater number. 



Summary. — In a resume of the food of the olive-backed and russet- 

 backed thrushes one is impressed with the fact that they come in 

 contact with the products of industry but rarely. The olive-back's 

 food habits infringe upon the dominion of man but little. The bird 

 lives among men, but not with them. The western form, the russet- 

 back, comes more into relations with the cultivated products because 

 it visits orchards and partakes freely of the fruit. Even then the 

 damage is slight, as much of the fruit eaten is that fallen to the 

 ground. Moreover, while the adult bird is feeding upon fruit a 

 nestful of young are being reared upon insects which must be largely 

 taken from the orchard, thus not only squaring the account but 

 probably overbalancing it in favor of the farmer. 



HERMIT THRUSHES. 



{Hylocichla guttata subspp. ) 



The hermit thrush of the subspecies 11. g. pallasi inhabits the 

 Eastern States in winter as far north as Massachusetts and breeds 

 from the mountains of Maryland and Pennsylvania and from north- 

 ern Michigan and central Minnesota northward to Alaska. Several 

 other subspecies occupy the Pacific coast region in suitable locali- 

 ties — that is, in the higher and more wooded sections, as this bird, 

 like all of the genus Hylocichla, does not live in treeless or arid regions. 

 In the East the bird is a late fall migrant and may often be seen 

 sitting silent and alone on a branch in the forest in late October 

 or even in November, when the great army of migrants have passed 

 on to the South. While a beautiful songster, the species is so quiet 

 and unobtrusive that by sight it is entirely unknown to many. 



Inquiry into the food habits of this bird covered 551 stomachs, 

 collected in 29 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada, and 

 representing every month of the year, though all the stomachs 

 taken in winter were collected in the Southern States the District 

 of Columbia, and California. In the primary analysis the food 

 was found to consist of 64.51 per cent of animal matter to 35.49 per 

 cent of vegetable. The former is mostly composed of insects with 

 some spiders, while the latter is largely fruit, chiefly wild species. 



Animal food. — Beetles constitute 15.13 per cent of the food. Of 

 these 2.98 per cent are of the useful family, Carabidse. The remain- 

 der are mostly harmful. Scarabseidse, the larva; of which are the 



