236 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



young drop caterpillars or other insects. We have a few 

 instances on record where the gypsy moth caterpillars have 

 been dropped in this way, and in one case at least the cater- 

 pillar was not materially injured. 



Inspector Sanderson saw a wood thrush take a large cater- 

 pillar from a tree and fly ofl* with it. The catei-pillar wrig- 

 gled in the bird's bill and finally fell when the bird had flown 

 a few yards. The bird did not come back for it. 



On July 6, 1895, Mr. Bailey saw a blue jay flying over the 

 w^oods in Saugus. It was flying about thirty yards from the 

 earth, and appeared to be making quite a long flight. As it 

 came near him he observed that it was carrying something 

 in its beak, and he immediately shot at it with his revolver, 

 not with the intention of killing the bird, but to make it 

 drop what it was carrying. It dropped a large gypsy moth 

 caterpillar, very nearly full grown. Mr. Bailey picked up 

 the caterpillar, which appeared to be uninjured. He had 

 watched the bird's flio-ht for some distance, and thought it 

 came about half a mile. The bird continued its flight north- 

 wwd, carrying the remainder of the food in its bill. Mr. 

 Bailey kept and fed the larva, which pupated on July 12. 

 A female moth emerged from the pupa on July 29, appar- 

 ently in fine health. 



It is not an uncommon occurrence for birds when suddenly 

 frightened to drop food, and when carrying several larvse 

 in the beak at once, the one nearest the end of the beak 

 would be the one most likely to be dropped and also the one 

 least liable to injury by the beak. Birds sometimes carry in- 

 sects, a short distance without any apparent purpose. Mr. 

 Bailey saw a chickadee take seven larvae from a tree and fly 

 away with them, dropping them ten feet or more from the 

 tree. Three of these larvae were not injured. He also saw 

 a least flycatcher carry away three female moths, only one of 

 which it ate. One was dropped at a distance of twenty-five 

 yards from the tree from which it was taken. 



There i& another way in which the caterpillars may be dis- 

 tributed by birds. They are often hatched in holes of trees 

 and in bird houses frequented by birds, especially by the 

 English sparrow. "When first hatched in such places, they 

 are likely to spin down on their threads, and bird houses 



