36 
farmers’ bulletin 755 . 
was lound. The others were divided into small portions among several families, and 
no special pest among them was noted. Ants, wasps, and bees comprise less than 1 
per cent and are evidently not favorites. A few spiders are taken, mostly in June, 
and a few moths also are eaten, but the most unexpected food for a cuckoo was three 
small tree frogs, found in as many stomachs. 
As the birds discussed in this paper were collected from a limited area, it will be of 
interest to take a glimpse at some facts obtained by the examination of stomachs of 
the same species taken in all parts of the United States. Of a total of about 300 
stomachs, the Colorado potato beetle was found in 4; the dog-day harvest fly, or 
“ locust,” in 33; the cotton worm in 37, many stomachs containing over 100 indi¬ 
viduals; the yellow-necked apple caterpillar in 34, many stomachs completely filled 
with them; the fall webworm in 3. one of which held 250; and the tent caterpillar 
in 7 stomachs, frequently to the extent of 100 or more individuals each. In all of 
Fig. 19. — Bob-white. Length, about 10 inches. 
these cases the statements are very conservative, as these larva? are so soft that they 
soon become unrecognizable in the process of digestion, and only those recently eaten 
can be identified. 
The yellow-billed cuckoo is a valuable ally of the farmer. It has no objectionable 
habits, but does destroy many serious agricultural pests, chief among which are the 
many species of caterpillars, of which this bird makes about two-thirds of its food. — 
p. E. L. B. 
BOB-WHITE . 1 
No bird is better known to country residents than the bob-white (fig. 19). The 
bird’s cheery calls the year round form part of the most pleasant associations of country 
life, and its neat form and harmonious coloration, and especially its confiding habits, 
make it a general favorite. 
Any brushy fence row serves as a retreat for its nest, or for winter shelter, and weed- 
covered fields are its favorite feeding places. Weed seeds form more than half the 
total food and include those of all the worst weed pests of the farm. Among them 
may be mentioned crab, cockspur, witch, and foxtail grasses, sheep sorrel, smartweed, 
1 Colinus virginianus. 
