t 
X 
270  NATURE’S MEANS OF LIMITING THE NUMBERS OF INSECTS. 
white, frequently tinged with rufous and with a broad subterminal 
band of black, outer frequently white, tinged with ashy and 
barred with black. Bill light blue, legs yellow. Back generally 
with transverse stripes of black, but frequently with very few or 
entirely “without ; rufous spot on the head, variable in size, and 
sometimes wanting. 1 ; 
Younger male: Upper parts as above; wing coverts and tail > 
ferrugineous red, with numerous transverse bands of brownish , 
black. Under parts with numerous longitudinal stripes, and on 
the sides with transverse bands of brownish black, external 
feathers of the tail palest, broad subterminal band on the tail ob- 
scure or wanting. 
Young: All the rufous parts of the plumage with wider trans- — 
verse bands of brownish black ; wing coverts dark bluish cinere- 
ous, with large circular spots of black; under parts with — 
longitudinal stripes, and large circular spots of black.” 
NATURE'S MEANS OF LIMITING THE NUMBERS 
OF INSECTS. : 
BY A. 8. PACKARD, JR. 
A rew hints regarding the natural enemies of our injurious in- n 
sects are here thrown together in order to call the attention of a 
our naturalists and agriculturists to the subject, and provoke 
inquiries during the coming summer. There is no more int 
esting subject to our entomologists and ornithologists, than e 
relations between birds and insects, while the subject of rearing by Lo 
the wholesale ichneumon and Tachina flies is of vital importance : 
to agriculture. E 
In the first place I desire to correct a false impression I may 
have conveyed in my last entomological report to the Mane = 
chusetts Board of Agriculture regarding the relation of birds w : 
the canker worm. I there remark that “it would seem as if ~ 
birds did not feed upon it to much extent.” Wishing to examin? 
into the matter more closely, I have in lack of observations of MY 
