(lb) 
Walking around Ball 8 s Hill immediately after break¬ 
fast I heard, besides many of our common summer birds, a 
Canadian Warbler and a Solitary Vireo. The Tifarbler was 
singing near the crest of the ridge behind the cabin. It 
had probably come from Davis's Swamp where I heard one 
singing about two weeks ago, although it is just possible 
that it may be nesting in the Ball's Hill swamp (an old 
breeding station) and by some chance may have escaped my 
attention up to this time. 
The white maples along the river banks are infested 
with grass-green caterpillars which are fast denuding these 
beautiful trees of their foliage. Not content with eating 
what they require, the caterpillars bite off pieces of the 
leaves, one or two inches square. The ground under the trees 
and the surface of the river as well are strewn thickly 
with these fragments. Having constantly seen or heard 
Cuckoos (of both species } but oftenest the Yellow-bills) of 
late in the maples over the canoe landing, I watched one 
of the birds ( Coccygus americanus)closely to-day and found, 
as I had suspected, that it was feasting on the caterpillars. 
It obtained them by flitting or hopping from branch to 
branch and reaching or fluttering up to seize them from the 
under sides of the leaves. I saw it catch and devour six 
within the space of as many minutes. I doubt if we have any 
bird that is much more valuable as a guardian of our shade 
trees than the Cuckoo, 
/ 
