COMMON BIRDS OF SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. 
5 
have been found in the stomachs of the robin, hermit thrush, tufted 
titmouse, and white-crowned sparrow, and of the following four 
species of birds, some representative of each of which had con¬ 
sumed at one meal more than 50 individuals: Nighthawk, chimney 
swift, tree swallow, and purple martin. 
It is perhaps worth while to mention the bird predators upon cer¬ 
tain insect enemies of truck crops. The destructive little cucumber 
flea beetle and its congeners, which feed on potato, tomato, sweet 
potato, eggplant, and tobacco, are preyed upon by 19 species 
of southeastern birds. The sweet potato flea beetle and its allies 
have 28 known bird enemies in this section; the grapevine leaf beetle, 
21; the grape flea beetle, 23; and the bean leaf beetle, 19. The rice 
weevil has been found in stomachs of 20 species of birds, the notori¬ 
ous Colorado potato beetle in 26, and the periodical cicada, or 17- 
year locust, in 33. Pests of considerable importance in the South 
whose bird enemies it is well to mention are the horseflies. These 
are preyed upon by 49 species of southeastern birds. The stomach 
of one killdeer contained 40 horsefly larvae. 
The foregoing demonstrates that many of the worst pests of south¬ 
ern agriculture have enemies in the bird world. The insects which 
have been considered chiefly are those destructive to grain and field 
crops; but among forest insects, fruit insects, and all the host that 
prey upon truck and garden crops, few can be mentioned that do not 
have important bird enemies. Farmers should recognize their friends 
and do all in their power to protect them. 
HOUSE WREN. 1 
The house wren (fig. 2), a fussy, flighty, and fidgety little midget, frequents the 
vicinity of barns and gardens and particularly old orchards where the trees are par¬ 
tially decayed. Never for a moment at rest while there is a ray of daylight, it would 
seem that his small body must soon be worn out by his incessant activity. His 
voice, as tireless as his wings, is heard from morning until night about the garden and 
orchard where he seeks his daily food, and while not very melodious it is cheerful 
and suggestive of life and activity. 
Probably no bird displays greater eccentricity in the selection of a nesting site than 
the house wren. A hollow branch or a knothole in a post or stump are his more 
prosaic choices. When more esthetieally inclined he affects old boots or hats hung 
up to scare the robin from the cherries, or takes an old copper pot or tomato can lying 
on the roof of a back shed; or, if the gardener hangs his coat on the fence when warm 
weather begins and forgets it for a few days, he may find when he returns that an 
enterprising wren has preempted one of the pockets and has his domestic affairs under 
full headway. The empty skull of a horse or cow when set on a post by the frolic¬ 
some schoolboy makes an excellent nesting place for the wren, who is-never troubled 
by the ghost of the former occupant. Whatever place he chooses, his ambition is 
to occupy the whole of it. This he accomplishes by carrying in sticks, straws, and 
other rubbish until all available space is filled, only just room enough being left for 
the mother bird and her eggs. 
1 Troglodytes acdon. 
