FLYCATCHER FAMILY. 33 



sands of worker bees to one drone, it appears that the latter must be 

 carefully selected. As a rule, the destruction of drones is not an 

 injury to the colony, and often is a positive benefit. The food of the 

 eastern kingbird shows practically the same ratio between drones and 

 workers. Hymenoptera other than honey bees amount to 38 percent, 

 and include wild bees, wasps, and ants, with a few parasitic species. 

 The latter are very useful insects, and their destruction is an injury, 

 but fortunately the kingbird is not especially fond of them. 

 The late Walter Bryant, of Santa Rosa, Calif., says: 



Mr. A. Barnett, of San Diego County, had 300 swarms of bees, which attracted the 

 flycatchers to such an extent that he made some investigations to ascertain to what 

 extent they might be damaging the bee industry. 



Over 100 flycatchers were dissected, principally Arkansas flycatchers and phoebes 

 (Black and Say's?). In all of the Arkansas flycatchers drones were found, but no 

 working bees, although in many cases the birds were gorged. In most of the phoebes 

 drone bees were found; the only exception was that of a phoebe (Say's?) in which a 

 bee's sting was found in the base of the tongue. 



The birds were all shot about apiaries and were seen darting upon and catching the 

 bees. a 



Such testimony is sufficient to clear these flycatchers of the sus- 

 picion that they interfere with the bee industry. 



Beetles of various families form about 14 percent of the food. 

 They are all harmful species except a few predaceous ground beetles 

 and ladybird beetles. They were taken very regularly through the 

 months, and appear to be a favorite food. 



Orthoptera — grasshoppers and crickets — amount to 20 percent. 

 They were taken pretty regularly through all the months. Even 

 the 3 stomachs secured in December show an average of 44 percent. 

 Probably few of these were caught on the wing, and their abundance 

 in the food indicates that this bird, like many others, forsakes its 

 usual style of feeding and goes to the ground to catch grasshoppers 

 whenever they are numerous. Two stomachs were entirely filled 

 with these insects, and in several others they amounted to over 90 

 percent of the contents. 



Miscellaneous insects, consisting of caterpillars and moths, a few 

 bugs, flies, and a dragonfly, constituted 10 percent. Several stomachs 

 contained a number of moths, and one was entirely filled with them. 

 Not many birds eat these insects extensively in the adult form, while 

 the larvse (caterpillars) are a prominent feature of the diet of most 

 insectivorous birds. Besides insects, bones of some batrachian, 

 probably a tree frog, were found in three stomachs and an eggshell in 

 one. They amount to only a trifling percentage. Frogs or sala- 

 manders seem queer food for a flycatcher, but their bones have been 



«Zoe, IV, pp. 57-58, 1893. 

 38301— Bull. 34—10 3 



