132 USEFUL BIRDS. 
were small tufts of grass growing out of the water. I took a branch 
from an apple tree, put twenty-four tent caterpillars on it, and stuck it 
up in the mud on their feeding grounds. I went away and was gone 
twenty-five minutes, and when I came back the male was looking the 
branch over. On examining the branch, I found but two caterpillars 
left, They had crawled to the under side of the branch, and were well 
concealed by leaves. At the apple tree with the brown-tail larve there 
were three species of birds seen to feed: Oriole, Robin, and Black and 
White Warbler. The Oriole came three times during the afternoon, 
and took fourteen the first time in six minutes, twenty-seven the second 
time in eight minutes, and ten the last time in three minutes. The 
Robin came but once, and took over thirty and stayed but little over 
four minutes. The Black and White Warbler took twelve while in 
sight, but was on the opposite side of the trunk and branches at least 
half the time, and stayed nine minutes. The first took most of his 
from the leaves, the second from the upper sides of the horizontal 
branches, and the last from the bark crevices of the upright trunk. 
May 11.—A pair of Blue Jays came to the apple tree and took 
forty-seven of the brown-tail larve. They were in the tree eighteen 
minutes. A Robin came and picked off four brown-tail larve and ate 
them, then flew away. A Black and White Warbler ate fifteen brown- 
tail larve; stayed about ten minutes. A pair of Chestnut-sided War- 
blers came to the apple trees and ate cankerworms for about twenty 
minutes. They must have eaten a great many, as they were pecking 
all the time, but were behind the leaves a part of the time, so I could 
not see the number. A Parula Warbler also came to the tree and ate 
the cankerworms, then went to the wild cherry tree and ate five tent 
caterpillars. I counted seven Yellow Warblers at one time in two 
apple trees, and they were all eating cankerworms. One of them went 
to the cherry tree and ate three tent caterpillars that were on the out- 
side of the web. Several Golden-winged Warblers came to the orchard 
and ate cankerworms, but they were very shy. A Nashville Warbler 
ate eight of the tent caterpillars, and stayed only three minutes. The 
Yellow-throats were in the apple trees nearly all the forenoon, and 
were busy most of the time eating the small cankerworms. I did not 
see them trouble the tent caterpillars. 
Cankerworms and gipsy moth caterpillars were now hatch- 
ing in some numbers, and the birds could take their choice. 
May 12.— There was a large flight of Warblers this morning. On 
first arriving at the orchard I found the trees literally alive with them. 
There were Golden-winged, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Parula, Black and 
White, Nashville, Yellow-throated, and others that I was not sure of. 
They would stop but a moment in any one place, but were chasing each 
other from tree to tree, and were all singing in chorus. I saw all of 
