112 
The Food of Birds. 
proper diligence that the little huckster doesn’t overreach 
him in the bargain. In other words, while the bird is far 
too valuable to exterminate, at least until we are sure we 
can replace him by some cheaper assistant, yet he is not 
so precious that we need hesitate to protect our fruits 
from outrageous injury. Indeed, it seems likely that the 
ordinary destruction of robins by gardeners does not 
more than compensate for the destruction of birds of 
prey in the interests of the poultry yard — removing that 
excess of robins which, in the more natural order, would 
fall victims to the hawks and owls. 
Tarle of the Food of the Robin. ( Turdus migratoi'ius L.) 
Og 
*0 
■*v 
aj 
Feb. 
March 
April 
May 
June 
=3 
August 
Sept. 
u 
O 
Nov. 
Dec. 
Total 
Ratio of each element 
to whole of food 
Number of specimens 
ii 
9 
17 
14 
13 
14 
20 
12 
. 3 
1 
1 14 
Kinds of Food. 
Number of specimens, and ratios in which 
each element of food was found. 
I. Mollusks 
1 
.01 
1 
t 
14 
.94 
7 
•03 
1 
2 
107 
4 i 
2l 
36 
I 
1 
56 
4 
23 
,1 
.2 
.65 
.04 
II. Insects 
I. Hymenoptera 
Apidae 
1 1 
■99 
9 
•97 
1 
t 
1 7 
.91 
5 
.02 
1 
t 
4 
.02 
13 
.42 
6 
.07 
13 
.20 
3 
.01 
1 
t 
3 
.01 
18 
•43 
-10 
•03 
9 
•30 
7 
•15 
3 
• 44 
2 
•35 
Formicidae 
Ichneumonidae . . 
7 
•03 
6 
.07 
7 
.02 
1 
t 
7 
•15 
2 
•35 
.04 
•17 
.08 
■17 
.01 
«5 
Chalcididae 
1 
t 
4 
•30 
1 
.01 
2. Lepidoptera (larvae) 
Arctiidae. 
3 
• 14 
12 
.24 
3 
.02 
1 
.04 
1 
1 1 
•23 
8 
■i 7 
3 
.04 
11 
•17 
2 
•05 
2 
.06 
Noctuidae 
Phalaenidae 
I 
•05 
3 
.19 
6 
•15 
4 
.07 
7 
. 12 
1 
.01 
3 Diptera 
ii 
.76 
w -p* • 
00 
6 
. 12 
4 
. 1 1 
2 
.07 
1 
t 
1 
.01 
1 
t 
Ti null dap 
Bibionidae 
11 
.76 
4 
•37 
is 
