[28] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



ing tlioir youug with locusts. In watching them with a glass from the forks of a cotton- 

 wood near by, I observed the old birds tear a large locust in pieces, and give it to their 

 young in sections 



ViREO BELLI, And. 

 BelVs Vireo. 

 This bird is sparingly present in Nebraska, but not as abundant as Cones found it in 

 Kansas. It breeds along the Missouri bottoms and some of the tributaries of this river 

 I have made no observations on its feeding habits, and only suppose that it also feeds 

 on locusts from the habits of its congeners. 



Family LANIID^ : Shrikes. 



CoLLURio BOREALis, (Vieill.) Bd. 



Butclier-bird ; Nortliern SliriJce. 



I have not observed this bird in Nebraska until the fall of the year, when it occurs 



sparingly. In the fall of 1874, in the last days of September, when I was wandering 



along the Nemaha, in Southeastern Nebraska, I noticed a thorn-bush, on which was 



impaled a vireo and eleven locusts, some of which were fresh. After watchiug itf or an 



hour from a distance, a butcher-bird appeared with another locust, which it impaled 



and then liew off. I afterward shot one, but its stomach contained only fourteen 



locusts, although there were immense numlDers of them flying at the time and laying 



their eggs here. I did not subsequently succeed in determining the proportion of 



locusts that this bird consumed for food. 



COLLURIO LUDOVICIAI?US EXCUBITOROLDES, (Sw.) Coues. 



WMte-rum^ed SliriJce. 



Rather abundant in Nebraska. I saw the young in the Missouri Bottom, in Dakota 

 County, in 1867, and on the Niobrara in 1869. The following were examined : 



o 



a 



s 



Locality. 



Date. 



© 



ll 

 3 



OQ 



1 



2 

 3 





June 17, 1865 

 Sept. 28, 1874 

 June 17, 1875 



27 

 37 

 32 



Portions of a bird. 



....do. 



....do. 





Lancaster County, Nebraska 



Family FRINGILLID^ : Finches, etc. 

 This entire family being granivorous — seed-eaters — bud- and fruit-eaters, I have not 

 examined them so closely as the preceding forms. And yet most of them will, on more 

 accurate observation, perhaps be found to eat more insects than has heretofore been 

 suspected. It will be observed that many of them are locust-egg-eaters. I will only 

 refer to those of this family that I have actually found to destroy locu.sts or their eggs. 



Hesperiphona vespertina, (Coop.) Bp. 

 Evening Grosbeak. 

 Only occasionally seen in Nebraska at least ; I have only met with it a few times in 

 winter. In October, 1874, I shot one in Lancaster County. It had two locusts and a 

 vast quantity of seeds in its stomach. I know nothing of its breeding-grounds. 



PiNicOLA ENUCLEATOR, (Linn.) Cab. 

 Fine Grosbeak. 

 This species occurs in Southeastern Nebraska in winter, but in small numbers. The 

 following shows that it eats locust eggs in winter : 



1 



a 



Locality. 



Date. 



Locust eggs in 

 stomach. 



Seeds in stomach. 



1 



2 

 ?, 

 4 

 5 



Lancaster County, IN'ebraska 



do 



Dec. — , 1874 

 Jan. — , 1875 

 ...do 



I^ov. — , 1876 

 Feb. — , 1876 



Large number 



A very few 



About half. 

 Large quantity. 

 do. 



do 



do 



do 



Large number 



About i seeds, 

 f seeds. 



do 







