WILD PEUIT. 61 



relished. A large elder bush was watched from 1.40 to 2.50 p. m. 

 The observations may be thus summarized: 



Detailed account of birds feeding on elderberries. 



1.45: A song sparrow hopped along under the bush and picked up a fallen berry. 

 1.51: A downy woodpecker alighted on the main stalk and, ascending within reach 



of a cluster, ate 2 berries. 

 1.58: A female orchard oriole came and fed. 

 2.00: A catbird ate several berries. 

 2.03: A red-eyed vireo took 1 berry. 

 2.09: A catbird ate 3 berries. 

 2.11: A pair of red-eyed vireos flew into the bush; one took a berry and scurried 



away, but the other remained long enough to eat 4 berries. 

 2.12: A male redbird dashed in, took a berry, and dashed out. 

 2.13: A crow dropped clumsily into the bush, but after. one peck at the fruit espied 



me and flew away with loud clamor. 

 2.15: A catbird took 1 berry. 

 2.16: A white-eyed vireo took 3 berries. 

 2.20: A catbird took a berry. 



2.23: A female summer redbird came shyly and hurriedly ate several berries. 

 2.24: A catbird took a berry. 

 2.25: Another catbird picked at a cluster rapidly for one minute, swallowing in that 



time 20 berries. 

 2.27: A red-eyed vireo, poised in the air like a humming bird, ate several berries 



from the same cluster. 

 2.28: A female cardinal ate a berry. 

 2..30: A catbird ate 10 berries in a minute, rested, and 

 2.33: Took several more. 

 2.35: A female summer redbird, bending a berry stalk under her weight, leisurely 



plucked 5 berries from the drooping cluster. 

 2.37: A catbird ate 4 berries, sat and preened its feathers, and 

 2.50: Ate 17 more. 



Wild cherries. — The wild black cherry {Prunus serotina) is plentiful 

 at Marshall Hall, but as a rule birds did not congregate about it as they 

 do in moie northern States. The following species were found 

 feeding on it: 



List of birds feeding on wild cherries. 



Catbird. Song sparrow. Orchard oriole. 



Kingbird. English sparrow. Eed-headed woodpecker. 



Phcebe. Crow. 



Blueberries. — Blueberries, though a staple article of birds' diet, are so 

 scarce at Marshall Hall as to be unimportant. Tufted titmice and cat- 

 birds have been noted feeding on them at the southern corner of lot 4. 



Other wild fruits. — With the waning of summer there comes such an 

 abundance and varietj^ of wild fruit that birds scatter over wide areas 

 of the farm, and observation of their feeding habits yields only desul- 

 tory results. There are, altogether, more than a score of wild fruit- 

 ing plants at Marshall Hall, which furnish food to at least 30 lands of 



