15 
were able to destroy the few remaining larve, while the trees 
at a distance from these contained so many larve that the 
birds were not numerous enough to dispose of them or to 
make any effective reduction in their numbers. This appar- 
ently demonstrated the usefulness of the ege-destroying win- 
ter birds, and showed the wisdom of attracting them to the 
orchard during the winter months. Not only did nearly all 
species of birds in the neighborhood flock to the trees infested 
by the cankerworms, but the chickadees living in their retire- 
ment in the woods came out to the orchards, flying some dis- 
tance to procure cankerworms with which to feed their young, 
and making regular trips to the infested trees day after day. 
On May 18 Mr. Bailey saw a female chickadee carry 20 
larve to its nest. They were apparently all cankerworms 
but 2, which were tent caterpillars. Of this he is certain, 
for he was within three yards of the nest to which the larve 
were taken. Later, on May 31, he noticed the chickadees 
feeding their young. It was evident that a large portion of 
the food consisted of cankerworms. Each bird made a trip to 
the nest about once in twelve minutes. The male and female 
came at nearly the same time and went away together. They 
went in the direction of an orchard infested by cankerworms. 
A few of the larvee were dropped on the ground at the nest, 
and proved, on examination, to be cankerworms. 
The crow was also observed feeding on cankerworms. 
On May 22 the birds had nearly all stopped feeding in the 
neighboring woods and were in the orchards feeding on 
eankerworms. Early in June, when the remaining canker- 
worms had finished their transformations and retired to the 
ground, several species of birds were again noticed feeding 
their young on the tent larvee and other hairy caterpillars. 
Of these, three species (both ecuckoos and the Baltimore 
oriole) seemed to be the most useful. On May 17 a cuckoo 
was seen to take 11 caterpillars out of one “tent.” Mr. 
Bailey writes: — 
On May 10 a black-billed cuckoo came into a tree near me at 
3 p.m. and sat there until 4.40 p.m., then he went straight to a tent 
eaterpillars’ nest. He looked it over for a short time and then 
commenced eating the caterpillars. He picked 27 caterpillars out of 
