. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . )ortion of the caterpillar swallowedwould be entirely unrecognizable when found in the birdsstomach. Other caterpillars are dissected, as it were, by thebird, and only the internal ])arts chosen as food ; these can-. a*1) s ^ 3 BIRDS, , AND PLANT LICE. 119 not be identified in the stomach of a bird. Orioles, Vireos,and Titmice are among the birds that commonly d
. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . )ortion of the caterpillar swallowedwould be entirely unrecognizable when found in the birdsstomach. Other caterpillars are dissected, as it were, by thebird, and only the internal ])arts chosen as food ; these can-. a*1) s ^ 3 BIRDS, , AND PLANT LICE. 119 not be identified in the stomach of a bird. Orioles, Vireos,and Titmice are among the birds that commonly dissectcaterpillars in this way. This is not a rare or exceptionalhabit, nor is it difficult to observe. It seems to be a deviceadopted by certain of the smaller birds mainly -when feedingon caterpillars too large to be swallowed whole without caus-ing some inconvenience ; therefore, they choose the partswhich can ])e digested readily, and reject the others. There are two facts which have gone far to justify the con-clusions of those who believe that birds do not cat hairy cat-erpillars ; they are : (1) most birds appear to prefer hairlesscaterpillars with which to feed their young; (2) when smallhairless caterpillars are abundant, most birds seem to preferthem to large hairy caterpillars. The first statement maybe accepted as a rule ; nevertheless, fifteen species of birdswere seen by my assistants in the act of carrying away h
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidusefulbi, booksubjectbirds
