556 
ECONOMIC RELATIONS OF OUR BIRDS. 
great influence in the extermination. In all of these sudden disappearances par¬ 
asitic foes and climatic influences appear to be the prime agents of destruction. 
If these pests were as abundant in Dr. Kirtland’s neighborhood as his statement 
indicates, it must have been a large colony of Jays indeed that could have 
counteracted them, alone, in so short a time. It is the bird’s mission to aid in 
preventing these gigantic culminations of insect life, or to lengthen the periods 
between their occurrence, and not so much to beat back a wave that has broken 
over them in si^ite of all their efforts to prevent it. In the second place, the 
destruction of the tent-caterpillar in orchards, by birds, is not of so great mo¬ 
ment as some have thought. There is perhaps no insect troublesome to orchards 
more directly and easily controlled than this species. Its tent makes it per¬ 
fectly conspicuous before it has done any mischief; and since the whole colony 
congregate under the web when they are not feeding, every caterpillar can 
be easily and quickly destroyed. Small insectivorous birds should rarely be 
supplanted by large omnivorous species; and the bird t’uat destroys the War- 
bhng Vireo or the Robin should render an exceedingly valuable service to war¬ 
rant its encouragemant in orchards and gardens; for this reason I regard a Blue 
Jay as much out of place in an orchard, during the breeding season, as a Canada 
thistle in a grain-field. 
Food: Of thirty-one specimens examined, nineteen had eaten acorns; fifteen, 
thirty beetles, among them several species of Harpalidoe and a Cetonia; two, 
two caterpillars; two, two grubs; one, some other larvee; two, grasshojDpers; five, 
corn; one, wheat; and one, berries. No stomach was found to contain only in¬ 
sects; and of those which contained beetles, their remains never composed more 
than one-fifth of the entire contents, and usually less than one-tenth. One bird 
was observed to kill three out of a brood of four young Robins and to eat one 
of them. 
Young birds, carrion and acorns (Wilson). Chestnuts, acorns, cherries, large 
insects, carrion, and the eggs and young of birds (De Ka}^). The larvae of Dry- 
ocampa senitoria (A. J. Cook). In the winter, berries of barberry or black-thorn, 
with a few eggs or cocoons of insects. In the spring, buds of shrubs, caterpil¬ 
lars and other insects; late in the spring and through the greater part of summer, 
the eggs and young of smaller birds; later in the summer and early autumn, 
berries, small fruits, grains, and a few insects; later in the autumn, chestnuts 
and beech-nuts (Samuels). Beech-nuts, chestnuts, acorns, corn, pears and apples 
(Audubon). Grubs of the may-beetle (Harris). Tent-caterpillar (Dr. Kirtland). 
Eggs, young birds, insects, caterpillars, acorns, chestnuts, corn and small fruits 
(J. M. Wheaton). Caterpillars, corn (Forbes). 
126. Perisoreus Canadensis (Linn.), Bp. CANADA JAY; MOOSE BIRD. 
Group III. Class b. 
The Canada Jay is a common winter resident in the pineries, where it makes 
itself familiar about every logging-camp. A few may breed in those regions, 
but I could not learn that it was ever seen there during the summer. 
Food: In the stomachs of two specimens, taken in October, were grasshoppers, 
cockroaches, larvae and small seeds. 
Seeds, insects and berries (Cooper). Berries, caterpillars, eggs of birds and 
carrion (De Kay). Eggs of ants, insects, leaves of fir trees. Robs Crows’ nests 
(Audubon). I knew of a single pair of these birds destroying the young in four 
nests of the Common Snowbird fJ. hy emails J in a single day (Samuels). 
