WILD FRUIT. 61 



relished. A large elder bush svas watched from l.-iO to 2.50 p. m. 

 The ohservatious may be thus summarized: 



Detailed account of birds feeding on elderberries. 



1.45: A song sparrow hopped along under the bush and picked up a fallen berry. 

 1.51: A downy woodpecker alighted on the main stalk and, ascending within reach 



of a cluster, ate 2 berries. 

 1.58: A female orchard oriole came and fed. 

 2.00: A catbird ate several berries. 

 , 2.03: A red -eyed vireo took 1 berry. 

 2.09: A catbird ate 3 berries. 

 2 11: A pair of red-eyed vireos flew into the bush; one took a berry and scurried 



away, but the other remained long enough to eat 4 berries. 

 2.12: A male redbird dashed in, took a berry, and dashed out. 

 \ 2.13: A crow dropped clumsily into the bush, but after one peck at the fruit espied 



me and flew away with loud clamor. 

 2.15: A catbird took 1 berry. 

 2.16: A white-eyed vireo took 3 berries. 

 2.20: A catbird took a berry. 



2.23: A female summer redbird came shyly and hurriedly ate several berries. 

 2.24: A catbird took a berry. 

 2.25: Another catbird picked at a duster rapidly for one minute, swallowing in that 



time 20 berries. 

 2.27: A red-eyed vireo, poised in the air like a humming l^ird, ate several berries 



from the same cluster. 

 2.28: A female cardinal ate a berry. 

 2.30: A catbird ate 10 berries in a minute, rested, and 

 2.33: Took several more. 

 2.35: A female summer redbird, l^ending a berry stalk under her weight, leisurely 



plucked 5 berries from the drooping cluster. 

 2.37: A catbird ate 4 berries, sat and preened its feathers, and 

 2.50: Ate 17 more. 



Wild cherries. — The wild black cherr}' {Pninus serotina) is plentiful 

 at Marshall Hall, but as a rule birds did not congregate about it as they 

 do in more northern States. The following species were found 

 feeding on it: 



List of birds feeding on uild cherries. 



Catbird. Song sparrow. Orchard oriole. 



Kingbird. English sparrow. Eed-headed woodpecker. 



Ph(^be. Crow. 



Blueberries. — Blueberries, though a staple article of birds' diet, are so 

 scarce at Marshall Hall as to be unimportant. Tufted titmice and cat- 

 birds have been noted feeding on them at the southern corner of lot 4:. 



Other wild fruits. — With the waning of summer there comes such an 

 abundance and variety of wild fruit that birds scatter over wide areas 

 of the farm, and observation of their feeding habits yields only desul- 

 tory results. There are, altogether, more than a score of wild fruit- 

 ing plants at Marshall Hall, which furnish food to at least 30 kinds of 



