BIRDS, CATERPILLARS, AND PLANT LICE. 141 



being occupied with the other bird. A Yellow-throated Vireo came 

 through the place, visited the tree for a moment, and took two larvaj, 

 then passed on. A male Golden-winged Warbler ate two forest tent 

 caterpillars, after hammering them a long time until he got them in 

 pieces. A female Black and White Warbler took a forest tent cater- 

 pillar from the trunk of a tree near me, flew to the ground and beat it 

 until she got it in pieces, when she took the inside parts and flew away 

 to her young, leaving the other parts on the ground ; she did not come 

 back for them. A Red-eyed Vireo took a forest tent caterpillar from 

 a branch and hammered it, then he pulled it to pieces and ate it all. 

 The next one he treated in the same way, except that he ate only the 

 inside, and dropped the skin and head to the ground. A Chestnut- 

 sided Warbler came to an oak tree infested with the gipsy larva; and 

 took six in a few seconds, then flew to the high trees. An Oven-bird 

 came to the same tree and took eight gipsy larvas from the leaves, 

 then flew away. A Yellow Warbler ate thirty-three cankerworms in 

 a little over six minutes. A Song Sparrow took two of the gipsy larvra 

 and carried them away to her young. 



Burlap bands were placed around the trees as a shelter 

 or trap for the gipsy caterpillars. Jays and Orioles soon 

 learned where to find them when hidden there. An inter- 

 esting note on another bird follows : — 



July 5. — I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch take gipsy larvte from 

 under the burlaps and eat them. When first seen, it was on the trunk 

 of a pine tree just below the burlap. The bird examined the burlap 

 all around the tree, then flew to the next and examined it in the same 

 way, and found nothing. On the fourth tree examine'd it found a 

 small, smooth-skinned larva, just under the burlap, and ate it ; then it 

 found a medium-sized gipsy larva, and, beating it a few times on the 

 trunk, swallowed it. It took another on the same tree. On the next 

 tree it took another, and, after beating it more than the first, started to 

 fly away with it, when a Wood Pewee chased it away. 



As the season advanced, the caterpillars began pupating, 

 and birds that were not particularly fond of hairy caterpil- 

 lars pursued the imagoes as they emerged from the pupa. 



July 6. — Medford. A company of English Sparrows were picking 

 the brown-tail moths from the elm trees and from fruit trees near the 

 street. Some of these would get away from the Sparrows and fly out 

 into the street, and were snapped up by a Least Flycatcher that was sit- 

 ting on a dead limb, and also by two Kingbirds that were sitting on the 

 telephone wires. On Highland Avenue, near the Hook farm, I saw a 

 Great-crested Flycatcher take two of the brown-tail moths. 



