24 CUCKOOS AND SHRIKES IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE. 



FOOD OF NESTLING LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES. 



A female parent and 6 half-grown young were collected for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining whether, as is commonly believed, young shrikes 

 are fed upon song birds. Three-fourths of the contents of each of 

 these stomachs were insects, mainly grasshoppers. Parts of a meadow 

 mouse had been fed to 2 of the nestlings. Mr. F. H. King, who has 

 made extended studies on the food of birds, cites an instance of a 

 shrike of this species carrying a warbler to its young, but Mr. P^rnest 

 Seton Thompson, who has recently examined the stomachs of 4 fledg- 

 lings, found no birds, but many beetles, grasshoppers, and bristly 

 caterpillars. The caterpillars belonged to the family ArctUda; and 

 were covered with spines. It is very imi)ortaut that the few birds 

 which will eat such caterpillars should be rigorously protected. 



SUMMARY. 



The food of the butcherbird and loggerhead, as shown by 155 stom- 

 achs collected dnring every month in the year, and in an area extend- 

 ing from California to tlie Atlantic coast, and from Saskatchewan to 

 Florida, consists of invertebrates (mainly grasshoppers), birds, and 

 mice. During the colder lialf of the year the bntclierbird eats birds 

 and mice to the extent of (>() percent and ekes out the rest of its food 

 with insects. In the loggerhead's food birds. and mice amonnt to only 

 24 percent. It will readily be seen from the table on page 20 that the 

 loggerhead's beneficial (jualities oTitweigh 4 to I'its iujurions ones. 

 Instead of being persecuted it should receive protection. 



LIST <>l I\\ KUTKHKATKS DKSTItOYKD HY TllK HU'I I'll KKItlKD. 



OrihopUra: 



Grasshoppers (Jmrf./rfrr) j ^^f^J,'"'^''"''- 



Critki'ts (GryUidw). 

 Cohoptera: 



(Jrouiul beetles {('arabida). 



Tiger beetles (CicindcUda). 



Darkling beetles ( Tenebrionidw). 

 IHptera: 



Flies. 

 Ufimenoptera : 



Auts (Fortnicido). 



W'jisps. 

 I.vpiduptera : 



Cut worms {Xovtuido). 



Hristly caterpillars (Arctiida). 

 Ariiehnida : 



Spiders. 

 Mi/riapoda: 



Tliousand-legs (Jiiliiii). 

 Cniiitaceu : 



Sand deas (Amphipoda). 



