The Food of Birds. 
129 
kegan. The large percentage of insect food in May re- 
minds us of the corresponding rise, in this month, of the 
insect averages of the food of the robin and the catbird. 
Seventy-nine per cent, of the food of these birds consist- 
ed of insects proper, only one per cent, of spiders and 
three per cent, of thousand-legs. Ants now amount to 
four per cent., caterpillars to twelve per cent, (one-third 
of them distinguishable as cutworms), and Coleoptera to 
precisely one-lialf the food, one-tenth of it being Carab- 
idae. 
Scarabaeidae rise to thirty-five per cent., chiefly June- 
beetles of the genus Lachnosterna, wireworms to three 
per cent, and Hemiptera and grasshoppers likewise to 
three per cent. The Hemiptera were all soldier-bugs. 
Among the predaceous beetles Pterostichus, Anisodac- 
tylus and Harpalus were recognized. A single specimen 
of Cytilus sericeus was the only representative of the 
family Byrrhidae found in the food of any of these birds. 
Corymbetes and Monocrepidius auritus were among the 
spring-beetles taken. In this month, as in the preceding, 
the snout-beetles were chiefly Brevirostres. The Scarabae- 
idae included Onthophagus hecate , Aphodius fimetarius, 
inquinatus and granarius, and Euryomia inda. Seven- 
teen per cent, of the food of the month consisted of frag- 
ments of grain. 
June. 
The birds of June, fifteen in number, taken from the 
1st to the 29th, all from the northern part of the State 
but two, had eaten about equally of insects and vegetable 
substances. Ants rise in this month to eleven per cent., 
caterpillars fall to three, about one-third of these being 
cutworms. Diptera fall to one, and Coleoptera to twenty- 
seven per cent., and Carabidae drop likewise to four per 
cent. Scarabaeidae return to seventeen, thirteen of these 
being leaf-cliafers ; wireworms fall to one, snout-beetles 
rise to four, and plant-beetles are represented by a single 
Chrysomela suturalis. Among the snout-beetles occur 
Sphenophorus parvulus and S. sculptilis. Several speci- 
mens of Epiccerus imhricatus were eaten by three birds. 
Phcmceus carnifex, Onthophagus hecate and Aphodius 
