JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 
153 
To this extract I may be allowed to add, that my ow-n observations, 
during the past year, confirm the conclusions of Dr. Fitch respecting this 
larva in every particular, having found its colonies in November, and ob¬ 
served the fly in early summer. I may also here introduce an extract from 
a communication of a lady friend, under date of Oct. 7, 1858. She says:— 
“ On speaking of your remarks concerning the food of the robin, at the 
Teachers’Association at Bridgewater, in June last, to my father, he told 
me of a little circumstance which I thought just proved your statement. It 
was formerly the custom to have a shooting match on election day in May. 
On such an occasion in North Bridgewater, about the year 1820, a great 
many birds were killed, so many that a man bought them by the cart-load 
for the purpose of enriching his land. In consequence, there was a great 
scarcity of birds in that vicinity, and a great amount of grass land seemed 
to be injured, but from what cause no one knew. The grass withered and 
turned dark-colored, as though it had been burnt, commencing in small 
tufts and spreading in large circles.” It would seem that the insect under 
consideration would, growing undisturbed, produce precisely this result. 
Fourth. During the month of May, the Bibio larva entirely disap¬ 
peared from the gizzards, but, up to the 21st of June, was replaced by a 
variety of insects or worms only, including spiders, caterpillars, and beetles 
of the family Elateridae, the parents of the well known wire-worms, so de¬ 
structive to corn and various other seeds when committed to the ground. 
The earth-worm I found to be a favorite food for tlie young bird, but 
sparingly employed by the adult for its own use. 
Fifth. From the date of June 21st, I began to find strawberries, cher¬ 
ries, and pulpy fruit generally, but in a majority of the examinations inter¬ 
mingled with insects, which led me to conclude that they were not fond of 
an exclusively vegetable diet, but rather adopted it as a dessert, and from 
the ease of procuring it, particularly during the enervating season of moult¬ 
ing. At this season of the year, I discovered a marked difference in the 
food of the birds killed near or in the village, and those killed in the coun¬ 
try at a distance from gardens and fruit trees, the latter having less of stone 
fruit and more of insects in their gizzards, which led me to conclude that 
the robin is not an extensive forager. 
Sixth. The mixed diet of the robin seems to continue from the ripening 
of the strawberries and cherries to October, the vegetable portion consisting, 
during August and September, in great part of elderberries (Sambucus 
canadensis) and pokeberries (Phytolacca dccandra.) 
