The Food of Birds. 
. 139 
Myriapoda eaten in spring. In fact, the midsum- 
mer fruits seem to replace these spring Myriapoda, 
instead of insects proper as in the species already dis- 
cussed. This bird apparently contrasts more directly 
with the brown thrush in food than with any other mem- 
ber of the family. The large percentage of Orthoptera is 
misleading, being due to the fact that a single bird had 
taken nothing but grasshoppers and locusts. This species 
seems to do more good and less harm than the preceding 
thrushes, having the lowest fruit ratio and eating the 
highest number of insects, with only the average of pre- 
daceous species. Its advances, therefore, are to be cor- 
dially encouraged by the gardener and farmer — a fact 
which must be especially agreeable to every lover of bird 
music, who has learned to recognize the full, clear, rich 
and exquisite strains of this songster. 
ITylocichla pallasi, Cab. Hermit Thrush. 
The hermit thrush is strictly a migrant, passing us in 
May and October. It is reported by Mr. Ridgway as a 
rare winter resident in southern Illinois, but otherwise 
appears in the State only during its passage to and fro. 
Considering the fact, however, that all these birds travel 
slowly the whole length of the State, merely keeping pace 
with the advancing and retreating seasons, and also that 
the species is a very abundant one at the period of the mi- 
grations, it will be seen that its food has great economic 
significance. There is reason to suppose that these mi- 
grants, in passing north and south, follow, year after 
year, about the same route ; do not vary, that is, far to the 
east or west. Consequently, occupying as we do a state 
that lies in five and one-half degrees of latitude, we can 
do much to protect this species in its wanderings, or can, 
if we choose, almost entirely eliminate that part of it 
passing over our territory. Twenty-one hermit thrushes 
were taken during the year, two in October and the re- 
mainder during the spring migrations. All but five of 
these birds were shot in extreme northern Illinois, at 
Waukegan, Evanston and Blue Island. Eighty-four per 
cent, of the food consisted of insects, four per cent, of 
