The Food of Birds. 
143 
ants, spiders and Myriapods, and by its taste for black- 
berries, grapes and especially cherries; that the catbird 
is distinguished by the large number of ants, blackberries 
and cherries eaten, and by the small number of insects 
generally, and of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hemip- 
tera in particular ; that the brown thrush is noted for its 
coprophagous habit, for the small number of caterpillars 
and Diptera taken, for the large percentage of phytoph- 
agous Scarabaeidse and the moderate ratio of small 
fruits ; and that the wood thrush differs from the others 
chiefly in the large percentage of insects (especially ants, 
caterpillars and crane-flies), its indifference to Hemip- 
tera and preference for Ortlioptera and Myriapoda, and 
its smaller ratios of fruits. 
The migrants can be properly compared only with the 
residents’ during the migrating season. I have conse- 
quently made a table of the percentages of the food of 
the four resident species for April and May in compari- 
son with the spring food of the three migrants. From 
this we learn that the hermit thrush is distinguished at 
this season by the moderate ratio of ants and Coleoptera, 
the large number of Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Orthop- 
tera, spiders and Myriapoda, and the small percentage 
of Diptera taken. The Alice thrush eats mollusks,. an 
enormous number of ants, a moderate number of Lepi- 
doptera, Diptera and Scarabaeidm, and a small number of 
Carabidm and Coleoptera generally, while Hemiptera are 
almost wanting in its food. Swainson’s thrush takes 
large ratios of ants, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, and 
small ratios of Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Arachnida and 
Myriapoda. It is not to be supposed that the number ex- 
amined of the last two species is sufficient to give more 
than an approximate and doubtful outline of the food. 
Indeed the reader may not unlikely receive with in- 
credulity the precise statements made concerning the 
food characteristics of the resident species, and ask how 
it can be known that these peculiarities are specific and 
constant instead of local and accidental. To this very 
reasonable query I am able to make a definite answer. In 
the paper already frequently cited, I published a compar- 
ative table of food of the species of this family, based on 
