THE BIRDS OF SPRING. 141 
It is surprising to one who has been educated to be- 
lieve that the faculty of reason belongs alone to man, to 
contemplate the consummate ingenuity which is displayed 
by these insects in their efforts to secure their eggs 
from the observation of their own thieving sisters, and 
to hide the food they have provided for their young dur- 
ing the period of its existence under ground. - 
The Tarantula Killer feeds upon the honey and pol- 
len of the flowers of the Elder, and of Vitis ampelopsis, 
the Virginia Creeper; but its favorite nourishment is 
taken from the blossoms of Asclepias quadrifolium. This 
species of Asclepias blooms through the summer, and the 
Tarantula Killer seems to know the locality of every 
plant. If one finds on the prairie a plant of Asclepias 
quadrifolium in bloom, and watches ten or fifteen min- 
utes, he will be almost certain to see a Tarantula Killer 
come to it. This insect requires considerable food, as its 
period of life extends from the first of June until Novem- 
ber, or till the frost destroys all the flowers, when it seems 
to die for want of food, as it is often seen at this time 
crawling about in a very feeble state. I do not think 
any of them ever survive the winter, as they never appear 
earlier than June. 
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THE BIRDS OF SPRING. 
BY J. A. ALLEN. 
Tue arrival of our birds during the spring is by no 
means uniform; a certain number coming one week and 
an equal number the next, either in the accession of spe- 
cies or individuals; nor is the increase regular and un- 
interrupted. At first the comers are uncertain, both as 
_ regards number and the time of arrival. The few that 
