ss 
THE WINTER FOOD OF THE CHICKADEE 
as to its identity. Another larva commonly found was one 
which winters over on the twigs in a small silken case, as 
shown in the light spots in Fig. S. The bark beetles of the 
family Scolytidce , which are destruct- 
ive to forests all over our country, were 
also freely eaten by the chickadees. 
Some birds which had passed through 
the pine woods of the College farm were 
found to have eaten many of these bee- 
tles, the precise species being deter- 
mined by Mr. E. A. Swarz of the 
United States Department of Agricul- 
ture, as Pityogcnes sparsus Lee. So 
much of the time of these birds is spent 
in the woods that it is evident that 
they are of great benefit in destroying 
bark-beetles and other pests of forest 
trees. 
The hairy skins of the fruit of the 
common wild sumachs were among the 
most abundant elements of the vegeta- 
ble food present. The edible portion 
of these fruits is evidently eaten to a 
considerable extent throughout the win- 
ter. 
The Results in Detail 
On the assumption that the scientific details of this study of 
the chickadee’s food will not be of especial interest to the gen- 
eral reader, the following records are printed in smaller type, 
and may be passed over by any one who cares only for the gen- 
eral results. 
But one specimen taken in November (the 12th) was studied. It 
had been killed after a tour through the tops of the pines in the Col- 
lege woods, and the stomach was chiefly filled with the fragments of 
small beetles belonging to the family of bark beetles (Scolytidce) . 
These were estimated to form 85 per cent, of the entire contents. 
There were also five large eggs of an insect which were identified by 
Fig. 4. Egg-mass of Amer- 
ican Tent Caterpillar. 
(These eggs are eaten by 
Chickadees.) 
