﻿FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  45 
  

  

  but 
  experiments 
  indicated 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  eat 
  them 
  in 
  greater 
  numbers 
  

   when 
  opportunity 
  offers. 
  Five 
  tobacco 
  worms 
  (Phlegethontius 
  

   sexto), 
  two-thirds 
  grown, 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  cage 
  with 
  three 
  captive 
  bob- 
  

   whites, 
  July 
  8, 
  1903, 
  w 
  T 
  ere 
  devoured 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  minutes. 
  Cab- 
  

   bage 
  worms 
  (Pontia 
  rapce) 
  and 
  cutworms 
  also 
  were 
  offered 
  and 
  

   greedily 
  eaten. 
  

  

  LIST 
  OF 
  CATERPILLARS 
  EATEN. 
  

  

  Army 
  worm 
  (Heliophila 
  unipuncta.) 
  . 
  Yellow 
  bear 
  caterpillar 
  (Diacrisia 
  vir- 
  

  

  Cutworm 
  (Agrotis 
  sp.). 
  ginica). 
  

  

  Cutworm 
  (Feltia 
  annexa). 
  Pyralid 
  {Tholeria 
  reversalis). 
  

  

  Noctuid 
  moth 
  (Noctuidw). 
  Purslane 
  sphinx 
  (DeilepJiila 
  gaUii). 
  

  

  Cotton 
  worm 
  {Alabama 
  argillacea). 
  Southern 
  tobacco 
  worm 
  (Phlegethon- 
  

  

  Cotton 
  bollworm 
  (Heliothis 
  obsoleta). 
  tins 
  sexta). 
  

  

  Striped 
  garden 
  caterpillar 
  (Manestra 
  Caterpillar 
  (Junonia 
  ccenia). 
  

  

  legitima). 
  Pupa 
  (Vanessa 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Miscellaneous 
  Animal 
  Food. 
  

  

  Insects 
  of 
  several 
  orders 
  not 
  previously 
  mentioned 
  make 
  up 
  0.70 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite. 
  They 
  include 
  hymenopterous 
  

   insects, 
  such 
  as 
  ants 
  (Lasius 
  sp., 
  Tetramorium 
  ccespitum, 
  Camponotus 
  

   pennsylv 
  aniens) 
  \ 
  gall 
  flies 
  (Cynipidce), 
  which 
  produce 
  bladderlike 
  

   growths 
  on 
  plants; 
  in 
  rare 
  instances 
  parasitic 
  wasps 
  (Tiphia 
  inor- 
  

   nata 
  and 
  Proctotrypes 
  rufipes) 
  ; 
  crane 
  flies, 
  May 
  flies, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  

   true 
  flies, 
  like 
  the 
  green 
  fly 
  (Lucilia 
  ccesar) 
  and 
  the 
  robber 
  fly 
  

   {Asilidce). 
  The 
  animal 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  includes 
  other 
  orders 
  

   besides 
  insects. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  spiders, 
  chiefly 
  ground 
  

   spiders, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  harvest 
  spiders 
  (Phalangidce). 
  The 
  common 
  

   thousand 
  leg 
  (Julus 
  sp.) 
  sometimes 
  contributes 
  to 
  the 
  food, 
  as 
  it 
  

   often 
  does 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  song 
  birds. 
  Snails 
  are 
  more 
  

   often 
  taken. 
  Among 
  these 
  Pupa 
  armifera 
  and 
  the 
  pond 
  snail 
  (Snc- 
  

   cinea 
  avara) 
  have 
  been 
  identified. 
  The 
  little 
  fresh-water 
  lobster 
  

   called 
  crayfish 
  (Cambams) 
  had 
  furnished 
  the 
  major 
  course 
  for 
  4 
  

   out 
  of 
  15 
  birds 
  shot 
  by 
  collectors 
  for 
  S. 
  A. 
  Forbes 
  in 
  Illinois. 
  

   Manipulation 
  of 
  these 
  biting 
  crustaceans 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  difficult 
  

   for 
  a 
  bird 
  no 
  larger 
  than 
  bobwhite. 
  The 
  queerest 
  food 
  eaten 
  is 
  the 
  

   toad. 
  B. 
  H. 
  Warren 
  reported 
  Florida 
  birds 
  as 
  feeding 
  on 
  small 
  

   batrachians 
  (probably 
  young 
  toads), 
  and 
  laboratory 
  examination 
  of 
  

   Florida 
  birds 
  showed 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  a 
  tiny 
  toad. 
  It 
  is 
  fortunate 
  that 
  

   this 
  habit 
  of 
  bobwhite 
  is 
  not 
  general, 
  since 
  the 
  toad 
  is 
  useful 
  and 
  

   destroys 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  insects. 
  

  

  Food 
  of 
  the 
  Young. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  adult 
  bobwhites 
  

   consists 
  of 
  insects, 
  while 
  their 
  young, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  practically 
  all 
  other 
  

   land 
  birds, 
  consume 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  proportion 
  of 
  insect 
  food 
  than 
  

  

  