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 

 enough to see her take two gipsy larvae and carry them away. A 

 Wood Thrush was singing in the bushes near the water. I got near 

 enough to see him picking larvae from the leaves. He took five gipsy 

 larvse after I came in sight ; the cracking of a twig caused him to fly 

 away. The Catbird was present, as usual, first eating larvae (both 

 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 larvae, and then flew 

 out of sight. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak ate plant lice, gipsy larvae, 

 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 larvae 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 larvae 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 larvas 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 



