126 USEFUL BIRDS. 
fine themselves to any one tree, and would dart about in such a manner, 
taking insects on the wing, flies, moths, winged plant lice, etc., that one 
could not keep count of what they ate. A male Chewink came to a 
tent caterpillars’ nest that was on a wild cherry, and he was eating the 
caterpillars. When I made a movement to enable me to see more 
plainly, he flew away. 
May 31, 1898. —I went to Rural Avenue, Medford. During the first 
hour the birds were very plentiful, but by 9 a.m. there were but few 
there. There was a family of Crows in the place all the time, but they 
were in the tops of the pine trees, therefore I could not see what they 
were feeding their young, but could hear their feeding cries very fre- 
quently. A Blue Jay was carrying food to her young. I got near 
ehough to see her take two gipsy larve and carry them away. A 
Wood Thrush was singing in the bushes near the water. I got near 
enough to see him picking jarve from the leaves. He took five gipsy 
larve aiter I came in sight; the cracking of a twig caused him to fly 
away. The Catbird was present, as usual, first eating larvee (voth 
gipsy and other species), then perching on the top of the highest bush 
and singing with all its might, now and then throwing in a fairly good 
imitation of the “caw” of the Crow. .A new bird now made his ap- 
pearance. He was of a bluish color, and was seen picking plant lice 
before I was certain of his identity. He then took a short flight to the 
oak sprouts, revealing his yellow back. This Parula Warbler ate three 
small gipsy caterpillars and four or five green larve, and then flew 
out of sight. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak ate plant lice, gipsy larve, 
gall insects, and took some kermes from a branch, cracking them with 
his bill and dropping the shells to the ground. A Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo came, and ate forty-one gipsy larvee in about fifteen minutes ; 
she then flew away. On my way out of the woods I stopped at the 
edge of the open to observe what birds were feeding on plant lice on 
the birch trees. Some Indigo Birds were busy eating them, and while 
I was looking I saw a Robin alight in the birches and pick up plant lice. 
JuNE 1, 1898. —I went to the park near the Malden-Stoneham line, 
and took up my position in a grove of small white birches and some 
wild cherry trees with tent caterpillar nests on them. A Brown Thrush 
came to the cherry trees and took five tent caterpillars from the outside 
of the nest, and ate them. Several Chestnut-sided Warblers came to 
the birches and were picking plant lice all the time they were there, 
also larvee of different kinds. ‘They were coming and going all the 
time I was in the place. A Chipping Sparrow remained in the birches 
for sixteen minutes, and ate plant, lice and green larve during that 
time. A Flicker alighted on an oak tree and took two forest tent cater- 
pillars from the trunk. He also took insects from the crevices of the 
bark. A Wood Pewee alighted on a dead branch, and took moths, flies, 
and plant lice on the wing. An Oriole came four times, and each time 
took a tent caterpillar from the nest to his young. An Indigo Bird came 
