330 
OCR LARGES 7 STANDING ARMY: THE BIRDS. 
the stomach of a single yellow- 
heacled blackbird, while the Balti- 
more oriole, Brewer’s blackbird and 
the purple grakle were noted as 
feeding almost exclusively upon the 
pests when the latter were abundant. 
Even the raven, the crow, the 
magpie, and the blue jay followed 
the prevailing fashion in the 
feathered world, eating large num- 
bers of the locusts, although no 
doubt they did n’t wholly neglect 
the occupants of any of the nests 
The Quaii. 
of the smaller birds with which they 
came in contact. The fly catchers 
and pewees proved to be doing good 
service, while the stomachs of the 
whippoorwill and nighthawk were 
crowded with 'hoppers, 348 being 
taken from seven specimens of the 
latter species. 
It seems almost incredible that the 
tiny ruby-throated humming bird 
should also have followed the fashion, 
yet Professor Aughey assures 11s that 
a specimen caught by a cat had 
four small locusts in its stomach. 
After this we are prepared to learn 
that the stately kingfisher varies 
his scaly diet with an occasional 
’hopper. Nor is it surprising that 
ten specimens of the highly insec- 
tivorous yellow-billed cuckoo had 
eaten 416 locusts as well as 152 
other insects. 
The woodpeckers evidently varied 
their usual diet to an extraordinary 
degree on account of the presence of 
the grasshoppers. Six hairy wood- 
peckers had taken 157 locusts, and 
193 other insects; four downy 
woodpeckers had eaten 165 lo- 
custs and 90 other insects ; five 
yellow-bellied woodpeckers con- 
tained 130 ’hoppers and 93 speci- 
mens of other species ; six red- 
headed woodpeckers had de- 
voured 149 locusts and 200 other 
insects; while eight flickers con- 
tained 252 of the ’hoppers against 
149 insects of other species. 
The extent to which the birds 
of prey fed upon the locusts 
would surprise the many people 
who look upon hawks and owls 
only as enemies of the poultry 
yard deserving extermination. 
One barn owl had eaten 39 lo- 
custs, 22 other insects, and a 
mouse. Eight screech owls con- 
tained 219 ’hoppers and many more 
other insects, while nine burrowing 
owls had devoured 318 locusts. The 
hawks patterned after the owls. Six 
marsh hawks ate 249 locusts, while 
two Swainson’s buzzards had de- 
voured 129 of the pests. 
Even the pigeons and gallinaceous 
birds which usually feed so largely 
upon grains and seeds added a 
considerable proportion of locusts to 
their diet. Professor Aughey writes 
that in locust years the wild turkey 
