No. 20.] THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT. 289 



these flies actually does good work for the apiarist. Nineteen 

 robber flies were found in the stomachs examined; these may 

 be considered more than an equivalent for the four worker honey- 

 bees already mentioned. A few caterpillars are eaten, mostly 

 belonging to the group commonly known as cutworms, all the 

 species of which are harmful. About lo per cent of the food 

 consists of small native fruits, comprising some twenty common 

 species of the roadsides and thickets, such as dogwood berries, 

 elderberries, and wild grapes. The bird has not been reported 

 as eating cultivated fruit to an injurious extent; and it is very 

 doubtful if this is ever the case, for cherries and blackberries are 

 the only ones that might have come from cultivated places, and 

 they were found in but few stomachs. 



" Three points seem to be clearly established in regard to the 

 food of the Kingbird — (i) that about 90 per cent consists of 

 insects, mostly injurious species; (2) that the alleged habit of 

 preying upon honeybees is much less prevalent than has been 

 supposed, and probably does not result in any great damage; 

 and (3) that the vegetable food consists almost entirely of wild 

 fruits, which have no economic value. These facts taken in con- 

 nection with its well-known enmity for hawks and crows, entitle 

 the Kingbird to a place among the most desirable birds of the 

 orchard or garden." (Beal, " Some Common Birds in Relation 

 to Agriculture.") 



The Phoebe (Sayornis phcebe), according to Professor Beal 

 " subsists almost exclusively upon insects, most of which are 

 caught upon the wing. An examination of 80 stomachs showed 

 that over 93 per cent of the year's food consists of insects and 

 spiders, while wild fruit constitutes the remainder. The insects 

 belong chiefly to noxious species, and include many click beetles. 

 May beetles, and weevils. Grasshoppers in their season are eaten 

 to a considerable extent, while wasps of various species, many 

 flies of species that annoy cattle, and a few bugs and spiders are 

 also eaten regularly. It is evident that a pair of phcebes must 

 materially reduce the number of insects near a garden or field, 

 as the birds often, if riot always, raise two broods a year, and 

 each brood numbers from four to six young. 



" The vegetable portion of the food is unimportant, and 

 consists mainly of a few seeds, with small fruits, such as wild 

 19 



