KINGLETS. 83 
100 individuals of this species. Other beetles were found belonging 
to about a dozen families, all more or less injurious. 
Lepidoptera, both larve (caterpillars) and adult forms (moths 
and butterflies) constitute only a small portion of the kinglet’s diet. 
They were eaten sparingly in every month but one, but in all aggre- 
gate only 3 percent of the whole. While a few caterpillars were eaten, 
most of the lepidopterous food consisted of the minute cocoons of 
tineid moths, a family of immense size, wide distribution, and destruc- 
tive habits. They are largely leaf-miners, and do much damage to 
the foliage of fruit and other trees. They are so small that even the 
little kinglet can eat a great.many of them at a meal. In only 2 
stomachs was anything found that resembled a grasshopper, and in 
both the quantity was small and the identification doubtful. Flies 
(Diptera) constitute nearly 17 percent of the diet, but are very une- 
venly distributed. The greatest amount in one month was in Janu- 
ary, 85 percent, all of which was in 7 stomachs collected in the same 
place within three days. These 7 stomachs contained an average of 
96 percent of dipterous remains. The birds evidently found a 
gathering of flies, probably dormant, and filled themselves almost 
exclusively with them. Another series of 4, taken at the same place 
in February, also had eaten flies to the extent of over 80 percent of 
the food. Spiders and pseudoscorpions amount to nearly » percent 
of the food, and are taken quite regularly through the season, though 
the greater number were eaten in October. These last are curious 
minute creatures, the various species of which live under stones, on 
the bark of trees, and in old books. 
Vegetable food—The vegetable food of the kinglets may be dis- 
cussed under three heads—fruit, weed seeds, and miscellaneous vege- 
table matter. Fruit amounts to less than 1 percent of the food, prin- 
cipally elderberries (Sambucus). Weed seeds are present to the 
extent of a little more than one-tenth of 1 percent, and may therefore 
be dismissed without further comment. In the miscellaneous vege- 
table food two items include nearly the whole—seeds of poison oak 
and leaf galls—which together amount to somewhat more than 4 
percent. The eating of the seeds of poison oak is not a commendable 
habit in any bird, for the seeds are not destroyed, but after the wax 
on the outside is digested are either passed through the intestine or 
disgorged, and so these harmful plants are disseminated. In many 
of the stomachs certain small round bodies were found that were 
diagnosed as ‘leaf galls.’ They appear to be galls in the early stage 
and are eaten while small and tender. 
SUMMARY. 
The foregoing discussion of the food of the ruby-crowned kinglet 
serves to confirm popular opinion with regard to this bird. As its 
