The Birds of Wyoming. 19 



"In the Red-winged Blackbird we have a friend that we lit- 

 tle dream of when we see the large flocks gathering about our 

 cornfields during late summer and early fall. During the 

 balance of the year it is engaged most of the time in waging 

 war on various insect pests, including such forms as the 'grub- 

 worm, ' cut-worms, grasshoppers, army worm, beet caterpil- 

 lar, etc. Even when it yisits.our .corn fields it more than pays 

 for the corn it eats by the destruction of the worms that lurk 

 under the husks of a large per cent of the ears in every field. 



"Several years ago the beet fields in the vicinity of Grand 

 Island were threatened great injury by a certain caterpillar 

 that had nearly defoliated all the beets growing in many of 

 them. At about this time large flocks of this bird appeared and 

 after a week's sojourn the caterpillar plague had vanished, it 

 having been converted into bird tissues. Numerous other rec- 

 ords of the efficiency of their labor as destroyers of insect 

 pests might be quoted in favor of this bird, but I do not be- 

 lieve this to be necessary, although considerable evidence has 

 been recorded of its destroying both fruits and grains. 



"The Baltimore Oriole has received such a bad reputation 

 here in Nebraska as a grape thief during the past few years 

 that I feel inclined to give extra time and space in endeavoring 

 to 'clear him' of such an unenviable charge. This, however, 

 I hardly think necessary when the facts in the case are known. 

 As insect destroyers both this bird and the Orchard Oriole 

 have had an tmdisputed reputation for many years ; and the 

 kinds of insects destroyed by both are of such a class as to 

 count greatly in favor. Caterpillars and beetles belonging to 

 injurious species comprising 96 per cent of the food of three 

 specimens killed is the record we have in their favor. On the 

 other hand, grapes have been punctured only 'presumably by 

 this bird, since he has so frequently been found in the vine- 

 yard and must be the culprit.' Now I myself have seen the 

 oriole in apple orchards under compromising circumstances, 

 and haye heard pretty strong evidence to the effect that it will 

 occasionally puncture ripe apples. It also belongs in the same 



