MOST USEFUL BIRDS. 



217 



Yelloiv-throated Vireo. — Mr. C. E. Wood, an inspector 

 in the employ of the Board, writes that he saw a yellow- 

 throated vireo take a large larva, alight on a limb with it, 

 and, placing one foot on it, peck its head off and give the 

 body to a young full-fledged bird which was waiting to be 

 fed. The young bird took the body of the larva, placed it 

 on the limb under one foot, and, pecking off a few small 

 pieces swallowed the rest whole. The yellow-throated vireo 

 has been seen by several observers to catch and eat the 

 larvae, and is probably nearly as useful in this respect as 

 the red-eyed vireo. 



Grow, — The crows in the infested region are so shy that 

 it is difficult to get near enough to them to observe care- 

 fully their feeding habits. It was not until 1895 that they 

 were actually seen to feed upon the gypsy moth, though it 

 had been noted that they sometimes frequented badly infested 

 places. They had also been seen to take their young to in- 

 fested localities, where they were apparently feeding them 

 with the larvae or pupae. In the summer of 1895 the prob- 

 ability of their feeding upon the gypsy moth was made a 

 certainty by the observations of Mr. Mosher, whose work 

 in observing birds has been done with the most painstaking 

 and patient care. 



The prying, inquisitive habits of the family are well illus- 

 trated by the crow when searching for gypsy moth larvae and 

 pupae. Dead bark is torn off from branches, clumps of 

 bushes are penetrated, and rubbish on the ground is over- 

 hauled by the bird in its search for the insects. Mr. Mosher 

 watched a crow which alighted within thirty feet of him on 

 a branch above his head, and fed upon the gypsy larvae with- 

 out noticing his presence. By using an opera glass all the 

 motions of the crow in searching for and capturing its prey 

 were readily seen. The crows will alight upon the branches 

 and search the under sides, where the gypsy moth caterpil- 

 lars crawl or cluster. They are apparently quite fond of the 

 pupae, and will also eat the female moths. The young crows 

 kept at the insectary were fed almost exclusively for two or 

 three days upon these insects. Although they ate them at 

 first with avidity, they soon refused them and would not 

 touch them so long as other food could be obtained ; neither 



