6 



these, with few exceptions, are harmless. The question, then, to what extent these purely 

 insectivorous birds are beneficial to the farmer or fruit-grower, reasonably admits of much 

 difference of opinion, for while they do devour a few of our tormentors, they probably 

 destroy a much larger number of beneficial insects, the main bulk of their food, however, 

 consisting of harmless species. Doubtless they serve a purpose in maintaining a proper 

 balance among the insect hosts, and between animal and vegetable life, but that their ser- 

 vice in these departments is so all-important as some would urge admits of grave doubt. 



The birds of the second division, namely, those which take their food partly on the 

 wing and partly from trees and shrubs, or on the ground, are not entirely insectivorous. 

 The remarks just made in reference to the first class will apply also to this, as far as their 

 food is taken on the wing, but on trees or shrubs, or on the ground, they consume insects 

 of entirely different classes, chiefly beetles and the caterpillars of moths and butterflies. 

 The beetles admit of a similar division to that of the flies already noticed ; the larger 

 number are harmless, a large proportion of the remainder are beneficial, and a few are in- 

 jurious. Most of the caterpillars of moths and butterflies are harmless, feeding in limited 

 numbers on a great diversity of shrubs and trees of little or no economic importance. A 

 few may be said to be beneficial, in consequence of their feeding on troublesome weeds, such 

 as thistles, etc., while a few others are decidedly injurious. Among the common birds in 

 this second class I would mention the yellow warbler or spider bird, Dendroeca cestiva; the 

 red start, Setophaga ruticilla; the red-eyed, and yellow-throated vireos, Vireo olivaceus and 

 V. flavifrons ; the various species of woodpecker, Picidce and the blue bird, Siala sialis. 



The birds comprised in the third class are only partially insectivorous. Among the 

 common species are the cat-bird, Galeoscoptes Garolinensis ; robin, Turdus migratorius, 

 and brown thrush, Harporhynchus rufus ; the sparrows, Fringillidm ; the cuckoos, Coc- 

 cidce ; the nuthatch, Sitta Carolinensis ; chickadee, Parus atricapillus ; kinglets, Sylviidce; 

 meadow-lark, Sturnella magna ; Baltimore oriole, Icterus Baltimore, and the wren, Trog- 

 lodytes oedon. Besides these there are the blackbirds, Icteridm, which in the spring devour 

 more or less insect food, but feed chiefly on grain and seeds during the remainder of the 

 year. Nearly all birds, excepting the rapacious species, feed their young on such soft 

 food as worms, caterpillars, soft-bodied insects and fruit, and, from the time that young 

 birds are hatched until they acquire the power of flight, a very large quantity of insect 

 food is undoubtedly consumed ; but the question of the greatest practical importance to 

 the agriculturist is how far are the birds a help in keeping in check injurious insects. 

 With the object of obtaining light on this point, I have, with the help of my son, W. E. 

 Saunders — who has for some years paid special attention to this matter — examined the 

 contents of the stomachs of a large number of birds, and I must frankly confess that the 

 larger the experience gained in this direction the more I have been convinced that but 

 comparatively little help is got from birds in keeping in subjection injurious insects. 



When the cut worms were so common with us this spring that any bird with a very 

 little effort might have had its fill of them, the contents of a number of stomachs were ex- 

 amined, especially those of the robin, but not a single specimen of this larva was found in 

 .any of them. It has been urged that some birds devour the larvae of the plum curculio 

 by picking them out of the fallen fruit, but I have failed to find any confirmation of this 

 statement, indeed never found a curculio larva in the stomach of any bird excepting once 

 in that of a robin, who had evidently swallowed it by accident when bolting a whole 

 cherry. As for the robin having any claims upon the sympathies of man for the good he 

 does, I fear that but a very slight case can be made out in his favour. Of fruit he is a thief 

 of the worst kind, stealing early and late, from the time of strawberries until the last 

 grapes are gathered ; not content to eat entirely the fruit he attacks, but biting a piece 

 out here and there from the finest specimens, and thus destroying a far greater quantity 

 than would suffice to fill him to his utmost capacity. At the time of writing, flocks of 

 the most pertinacious specimens are destroying the best of my grapes, while alongside is 

 a patch of cabbages almost eaten up with the larvae of the cabbage butterfly — nice, fat, 

 smooth grubs, easily swallowed, but no such thing will Mr. Robin look at as long as good 

 fruit can be had. His tastes are so expensive that to gratify them is to' deprive the fruit- 

 grower of a large portion of his profits, hence the sooner the robin ceases to be protected 

 by legislation the better it will be for all lovers of fruit. 



