58 FOOD OF THE FLYCATCHEES. 



is difficult to account for these last in the stomach of a flycatcher, but 

 such strange objects are often found in nestlings' stomachs. 



In a nest of these birds, built on a bracket in a porch of a house, the 

 feeding of the young was watched for an hour. Both parents took 

 part in the feeding, and the young were fed 24 times in the hour. 

 As this was about the middle of the forenoon, it may fairly be consid- 

 ered as an average hour; at that time of year there were fully 14 hours 

 of daylight, so it seems reasonable to infer that the nestlings were fed 

 at least 336 times every day, or supposing that there were 3 of them, 

 112 times apiece. As the nest was situated in a garden and orchard, 

 the insects eaten were taken from the very place where they would 

 have done the most mischief. 



ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. 



(Empidonax virescens.) 



The Acadian flycatcher breeds throughout the eastern portion of 

 the United States as far north as southern New York, Michigan, 

 and Wisconsin, and as far west as eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and 

 Texas. It appears to extend farther north in the interior than it 

 does in the east, for one stomach was received from Minnesota and 

 one from Ontario. It winters beyond the southern boundary of this 

 country. It is not domestic in its habits and prefers forests of decidu- 

 ous trees to orchards or gardens. An area of second growth where 

 the trees are not large seems to be the ideal place of residence. 



For the study of its food 100 stomachs were available. They were 

 collected in 14 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada, and from 

 April to October. The food was found to consist of 97.05 per cent of 

 animal matter and 2.95 per cent of vegetable. 



Animal food. — Beetles are eaten to the extent of 13.76 per cent of 

 the whole food. Of these 1.66 per cent are of the three prominently 

 useful families (Carabidse, Cicindelidae, and Coccinellidse). The others 

 were of more or less harmful families and include such well-known 

 pests as spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica 12- punctata), rose beetle 

 (Macrodactylus subspinosa), rice weevil (Calandra oryzx), and- a 

 scolytid. Beetles were found in 76 stomachs and were eaten quite 

 regularly till October, when none were taken. 



Wasps, bees, and ants amount to 39.93, or practically 40, per cent of 

 the bird's food, and are eaten so regularly that no month's consump- 

 tion falls much below the average. They were found in 76 stomachs, 

 or 84 per cent of all, and 4 were entirely filled with them. Ants were 

 contained in 29 stomachs and parasitic species in 13, but some of the 

 latter may haA'e been overlooked, owing to their broken condition. 

 Hymenoptera as a whole are the largest item of animal food with 

 tins as well as most other flycatchers. Flies (Diptera) amount to 



