268 REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



which the wax has all been removed by the process of digestion. This large quantity 



of seeds then passes through the intestine, or in some cases, notably the crow, 



regurgitated and scattered broadcast, ready to grow and produce a great number 



of these disagreeable and, to some people, dangerous plants. This vine is in 



itself ornamental, especially in autumn, and were it not for its poisonous qualities 



would be a desirable plant for covering unsightly objects like stumps and dilapidated 



walls and stone piles. As it is, however, its presence is always to be deplored, and 



while it subserves a useful purpose in furnishing food for many birds in a season 



of scarcity, it is unfortunate that the seeds are not devitalized in the process of 



digestion. There is at least one bird, the chickadee, which, while it subsists to some 



extent upon this seed, does not assist in its dissemination. This bird is too 



small to swallow so large a seed, so it merely pecks the wax from the outside 



and leaves the seed upon the parent vine. There is another vine which closely 



resembles the poison ivy, but is harmless. This is the Virginia creeper or 



woodbine (Parthenocissus quinque folia) , and as its seeds are borne in an attractive 



berry they are eaten by birds nearly as much as those of the ivy, and are scattered 



in the same way. For this we are duly thankful, as the plant is at all times 



ornamental, and its beauty in the fall is proverbial. The resemblance between 



the two is unfortunately very close, and many distressing accidents have happened 



when inexperienced persons have gone in quest of autumn leaves and have mistaken 



the ivy for the woodbine. 



The Robin. 



As an eater of fruit and a distributor of seeds the robin has few, if any, rivals, 



except possibly the cedarbird. In the examination of 380 stomachs there were 



identified forty-two different species of wild fruits, of which the seeds would either 



pass through the intestine unharmed or would be regurgitated, but in either case 



would in all probability fall where they could sprout and grow. Some of these, 



like the wild cherry, the sour gum and junipers, are genuine trees, while others, like 



the dogwoods, the bird cherries and the amelanchiers, are of smaller growth, and still 



others are only shrubs. As the robin is not a frequenter of the forest depths, 



the seeds would be dropped, as a general rule, away from overshadowing trees, 



and so have the best possible chance for growth, and in this way the forest is 



extended. 



The Cedarbird (Ampelis cedrorunt). 



This bird, like the robin, subsists largely upon fruits, the seeds of which it 

 distributes far and wide. The wild cherry, the sour gum and the juniper are 

 three species whose fruit is much eaten by the cedarbird, and the seeds scattered 

 in a thousand places where they have a chance for germination and growth. 



