YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 53 



insects, but Sinea diadema is said to have the bad habit of preying upon 

 honeybees when near the hive. The yellow-bellied flycatcher does 

 not select its bugs with the same good judgment that it shows when 

 taking beetles, wasps, etc. Leaf hoppers and tree hoppers were the 

 other families observed. 



Diptera were contained in only 29 stomachs, but amounted to 

 14.89 per cent, or three and a half times as much as Hemiptera, 

 although found in fewer stomachs. They belonged to several families, 

 including the house fly, horsefly, and the long-legged crane fly. They 

 were eaten in every month, but June and July showed the greatest 

 consumption. 



Lepidoptera were found in 28 stomachs, of which 4 contained the 

 adult moths and 24 their larvae or caterpillars. The amount for the 

 season was 5.68 per cent. In one stomach was found a cricket's jaw, 

 in another parts of a locust, and in a third some remains that were 

 doubtfully referred to Orthoptera, and these were all the material 

 found that could be assigned to Orthoptera. As the percentage was 

 very small, it was included in miscellaneous insects, which are made 

 up of these with a few May flies and a little unidentifiable matter, in 

 "all 0.98 per cent. 



Spiders are eaten by this bird to a greater extent than by any of 

 the other flycatchers. They amount to 8.52 per cent of the food and 

 are taken quite regularly through the season. Beginning with 2.21 

 per cent in May they gradually increase to 14.28 per cent in Septem- 

 ber. Hymenoptera alone stand higher in the food of that month. 

 With the exception of certain nestlings no other species of bird yet 

 studied shows so high a percentage of spiders in its food, though 

 wrens and titmice and some warblers approach it. Probably many 

 of these were caught from their webs in mid-air. They were found 

 in 30 stomachs — just one-third of all. In 13 stomachs they consisted 

 of those peculiar species called ' ' harvestmen ' ' (Phalangida) , or perhaps 

 more commonly known as " daddy longlegs." These must have been 

 picked from the ground or some plant, as they spin no webs. 



The following insects were identified: 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Halictus sp 4 



Spilomena sp 1 



Cerceris sp 1 



Vespa maculata 1 



Chrysis sp 1 



Myzine 6-cincta 1 



Tiphia inornata 1 



Aphxnogaster sp 1 



Camponotus sp 3 



Formica fusca 1 



Hemiteles sp 2 



Cryptus sp 1 



Thalessa sp 1 



Xylonomus sp 1 



Ophion sp 2 



