detietee ese. ON) (Bs UsiLe kD TN 13 
victim of poisoned carcasses put out by ranchers for wolves. Frogs, turtles, 
lizards and snakes all pay their toll, the road runner of the southwest being 
particularly adept in dealing with the lizards and snakes living in its 
territory, so much so that he is locally sometimes called the “lizard bird.” 
Cannibalism is never a very pleasant subject, but some birds do include 
other birds on their bill of fare, although probably none will feed exclu- 
sively on members of their own class. The shrike, or butcher bird, has a bad 
reputation in this regard, but does include many of the larger insects, such 
as grasshoppers and locusts, and smaller mammals, such as mice and 
shrews, in its diet. Perhaps the most persistent offender would be the duck 
hawk, which, where birds are abundant, is reported to eat merely the flesh 
of the head and neck and the eyes of each victim, leaving the remainder 
of the body untouched. However, the principal source of food among the 
hawks and owls has been definitely shown to be the various crop-destroying 
rodents and larger insects. Probably no species of wildlife is entirely free 
from paying tribute to some kind of bird, eagles and hawks having been 
shot that carried even a strong smell of skunk—but whether they were 
eaten is still an open question. Nor do we know why the grebes eat their 
own feathers, in some cases as much as 66 per cent of the stomach contents 
having been identified as such. 
This has been a brief and quite incomplete review of the almost un- 
limited range of substances which furnish the birds with food, but it does 
show something of the interrelation of all life on earth. A list of the 
creatures which prey upon birds would be quite as revealing. Every creature 
seems to come into contact with other unrelated groups and life as’a whole 
is affected thereby. A warbler seeking out the insects among the leaves, or 
a bittern spearing a frog, seems a trivial incident, and yet the effects of 
accumulated events no more important than these are felt by all the world, 
so delicate is the balance of Nature. 
Chicago, Illinois. 
ia ft ft 
Christniasecencus:—— L942 
AT THIS time we are again pleased to publish the several reports which 
have been received from various localities. They are not so numerous and 
fewer observers have taken part, which may in some measure be due to the 
entrance of quite a number of our younger bird students into the war 
industries and the armed services. The restrictions on what still comes 
under the head of pleasure driving are undoubtedly also a factor. However, 
we are glad to see that in spite of many unfavorable conditions there are 
still those who can find the time and the enthusiasm that will take them 
into the field to see what is hapenning to our native birds. 
Many of our readers must have had interesting experiences on some of 
these excursions. The Audubon Bulletin invites you to send them to us and 
let us share them with others. 
Reports received are as follows: 
Blue Island, Cook Co. In the vicinity of Blue Island, Oak Hill banding 
