214 USEFUL BIRDS. 
stroying those concealed insects which so well escape all but 
the sharpest eyes. Nocturnal moths, such as the Catocalas, 
which remain motionless on the tree trunks by day, almost 
invisible because of their protective coloring, are captured 
by the Tanager. Even the largest moths, like cecropia and 
luna, are killed and eaten by this indefatigable insect hunter. 
Mr. C. E. Bailey once told me that he saw a male Tanager 
swallow a luna moth nearly entire, removing only one of the 
insect’s wings in the process; but this haste may have been 
caused by the attempts of several other birds to take his prey 
from him. Mr. Bailey brought me the wing of the moth that 
was dropped, lest its identity should be questioned. I once 
saw a male Tanager swallow what appeared to be a hellgra- 
mite or dobson (Corydalus cornutus) head first and appar- 
ently entire, though not without much effort. No one who 
will examine the plate of the luna moth, opposite this page, 
can fail to appreciate the capacity of the Tanager. It is 
difficult to see how the bird can accomplish such feats of deg- 
lutition. Asa caterpillar hunter the bird has few superiors. 
It is often very destructive to the gipsy moth, taking all 
stages but the eggs, and undoubtedly will prove equally 
useful against the brown-tail moth. Leaf-rolling caterpillars 
it skillfully takes from the rolled leaves, and it also digs out 
the larve of gall insects from their hiding places. Many 
other injurious larve are taken. Wood-boring beetles, bark- 
boring beetles, and weevils form a considerable portion of 
its food during the months when these insects can be found. 
Click beetles, leaf-eating beetles, and crane flies are greedily 
eaten. These beneficial habits are not only of service in 
woodlands, but they are exercised in orchards, which are 
often frequented by Tanagers. Nor is this bird confined to 
trees, for during the cooler weather of early spring it ‘goes 
to the ground, and on plowed lands follows the plow like the 
Blackbird or Robin, picking up earthworms, grubs, ants, and 
ground beetles. Grasshoppers, locusts, and a few bugs are 
taken, largely from the ground, grass, or shrubbery. 
Some useful ichneumon flies are destroyed, and a few 
spiders and their eggs. Nuttall says that Tanagers eat 
whortleberries and seeds, but so far as my observations and 
