226 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



succession, carries each, one to a limb, pecks it open and 

 drops it upon tlie ground. 



As the sun grows warmer the number of male moths in 

 zigzag flight increases. It is now six o'clock, and the snap- 

 ping of bills heard on all sides tells us that the flycatchers 

 are in the woods. Seven king birds are hunting the male 

 moths. They catch scores of them, and occasionally they 

 pick ofi" a female or capture a falling larva. One of these 

 birds comes in over the tree tops and hangs suspended on 

 hovering wings. Suddenly dropping toward the earth, it 

 picks up a fluttering female moth, and, fl^dng to a limb, with 

 a single snap of the bill divests the insect of both wings and 

 swallows it* The bird then looks to right and left, flies from 

 it^ perch, catches a male moth in mid-air, returns to its perch, 

 swallows the moth and calls cheerily to its mate. The other 

 king birds are all busy in like manner. As they seem to have 

 settled down to remain for some time, we will keep tally of 

 such moths as we can actually see them take at close range. 

 Several chipping sparrows now appear hopping about on the 

 ground. Xow and then one picks up a half-grown larva. 

 They are pecking and eating the female moths. They also 

 chase and capture a low-flying male moth. Two catbirds 

 are searching the thicket along the brook. They are taking 

 pupee from the ground and dead leaves and also from the 

 leaves and twigs of the low bushes, but we can see this only 

 occasionally, as most of the time the birds are hidden from 

 view. The crows went when the king birds came, but the 

 flycatchers are still hawking about. As the reflected heat 

 of the summer sun is radiated from the earth, the newly 

 emerged male moths gain life and vigor from its warmth, 

 and fly in large numbers through the woods. Three least 

 flycatchers, two phoebes and several wood pewees are in sight 

 and pursue the moths most of the time. 



At half-past nine the king birds have disappeared. Our 

 tally sheet shows that we have seen them take seventy-nine 

 male and twenty-four female moths. They were watched 

 only a portion of the time, but were feeding quite constantly. 

 It is safe to say that between 6.15 and 9.30 they have killed 

 two hundred and fifty male moths. The number of females 

 taken cannot be so readily estimated. 



