MEADOW LARK AND BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 429 
The predaceous beetles (Carabide) constitute an element of great 
interest in the food of any bird, since the number eaten is commonly 
taken as a criterion of the comparative usefulness of the bird. As 
these beetles themselves live for the most part on other insects, it is 
evidently desirable that they should be allowed to pursue this good 
work as long as possible. That they are not molested by orioles is 
proved by the fact that in the stomachs é¢xamined predaceous beetles 
averaged only one-half of 1 per cent for the season, and the greatest 
number taken in any month amounted to little more than 1 per cent. 
Wasps (Hymenoptera) constitute an important element of the food 
in every month, varying from 20 per cent in April to about 8 per cent 
in July, and averaging nearly 11 per cent for the season. As these 
insects spend a large part of their time buzzing about flowers and 
leaves, it seems only natural that they should be eaten by the oriole. 
Ants, which also belong to the Hymenoptera, are eaten to some extent 
through the spring and summer, but are only important in April and 
May, when they form about 10 per cent of the food. They belong 
for the most part to the large black species of Camponotus, which live 
on trees and nurse plant lice. 
Bugs (Hemiptera) of various species are favorites with the orioles, 
as they are with many other birds, and form about 6 per cent of the 
food for the season. None were found in April, about +4 per cent in 
May, after which they increased to nearly 10 per cent in July, but 
again decreased to 4 per cent in August. Many of these are stink 
bugs (Pentatomidce), which crawl over berries and impart a disgust- 
ing flavor to them. Others belong to the family of assassin bugs 
(Reduvide), which feed on other insects; but the most interesting 
members of this order are the scale lice (Coccidce) and common plant 
lice (Aphides), two of the most destructive families of insects known. 
They are so minute that it seems surprising that any bird should care 
to eat them, but scale lice were found in eight stomachs and aphids 
in four. Flies (Diptera) make up more than 4 per cent of the food in 
May, and no less than 7 per cent in the single stomach taken in No- 
vember. The most interesting are the larvee of the March fly (Bibio), 
of which one stomach contained about 100. These larve feed on roots 
of grass and evidently must have been obtained from the ground. 
' Several long-legged crane flies (Tipulide), with their eggs, were also 
found. 
Grasshoppers and locusts were eaten in June, July, and August to 
the extent of 1, 11, and 17 per cent, respectively. In capturing these 
insects it is evident that the orioles must alight on the ground, 
attracted no doubt by the abundant supply and the ease with which 
such food can be obtained, for at this season it can hardly be sup- 
posed ‘there is a dearth of caterpillars and other insects which they 
usually find on the trees. Spiders also constitute a favorite food, aver- 
aging nearly 6 per cent for the season. In May they form 5 per cent 
