FOOD HABITS OF THE SWALLOWS. 5 
weevil (Otiorhynchus ovatus) occurred in one stomach. Tomicus 
calligraphy, one of the engraver beetles that work under the bark 
of trees, also was found in one stomach. In all, weevils of different 
species were found in 48 stomachs. Sundry other beetles, of more 
or less economic interest, made up 3.41 per cent of the food. 
Lepidoptera usually appear in the stomachs of birds in the larval 
form — that is, as caterpillars — but as birds that take their prey upon 
the wing are not likely to capture caterpillars, this item of food with 
the swallows is usually composed of remains of adult insects. It 
amounts to 9.39 per cent of the food of the martin, and is mostly 
taken at the end of the season; that is, in August and September. 
None were taken in February and March, and for some unknown 
reason none were eaten in June. Small moths were found in 39 
stomachs, and a butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) in 1. It is possible 
that there were more butterflies which could not be identified. 
Moths formed the sole contents of 11 stomachs, and in one 12 heads 
were counted. The distribution of this item of food through the 
season is very curious and not readily explainable. Over 93 per cent 
of it is eaten in August and September, with but little in any other 
month. 
Orthoptera are eaten sparingly by the martin. Their total in the 
yearly food of the martin is only 1.09 per cent. 
Dragonflies appear to be a favorite food of the martin. They were 
eaten every month except February and were contained in 65 stom- 
achs, of which 7 held nothing else. Many were of the larger species, 
seemingly rather large morsels for the bird. The total for the season 
is 15.1 per cent of the food, a percentage unusually large for these 
insects and indicating that the martin hunts especially for them. 
The bank swallow is the only other species that eats enough dragon- 
flies to warrant a separate record. Adult dragonflies live by killing 
other insects and thus are usually reckoned as useful creatures, but 
the young feed to some extent upon small fishes and do some harm 
in this way. Their destruction, therefore, may be regarded as having 
a neutral effect. Aquatic in their larval stage, dragonflies naturally 
stay about water or wet places, and as martins are likely to nest at a 
distance from water, to get them the birds must go to the haunts of 
the insects. 
A few other insects, mostly Ephemeridse, with a few spiders and 
sowbugs (8.09 per cent), complete the food. A bit of mollusk shell 
and a vertebra of a fish are among the curiosities noted. 
Summary.— While in its food habits the martin does not inflict 
the direct injury upon man that the bird that preys upon his fruit 
does, yet it must be admitted that in its animal food in theory it 
does some harm. Among the Hymenoptera eaten are many parasitic 
species, all reckoned as useful insects, and the whole order are cer- 
