. 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 . ous to vegetation, that this Oriole splits open the green pods for the sake of the weevilgrubs contained in the peas, thereby greatlyhelping to prevent the spread of these noxiousinsects. Nuttall says that it takes the sac-charine nectar from fruit blossoms. It eatscherries, but seems to prefer Juneberries andmulberries. Professor Beal says that severalOrioles that Avere sho
. 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 . ous to vegetation, that this Oriole splits open the green pods for the sake of the weevilgrubs contained in the peas, thereby greatlyhelping to prevent the spread of these noxiousinsects. Nuttall says that it takes the sac-charine nectar from fruit blossoms. It eatscherries, but seems to prefer Juneberries andmulberries. Professor Beal says that severalOrioles that Avere shot in cherry trees had no cherries in their stomachs, but some seeds of Rubus and Juneberries. John Burroughs told me years ago that it was very destructive to ripe grapes at his place on the Hudson Kiver, but I have never heard of its in-juring grapes in Mas-sachusetts ; it usually leaves us before most grapes are catalogued the sins of this bird, let us see what its good qualities are. Professor Beal finds that eighty-three and four-tenths per cent. of the Orioles food consists of animal matter, caterpillars forming thirty-four per cent, of the whole. Evidently the Oriole is one of the first amonff the. Fig. 85. — a, b, tent caterpillars; c, eggs; rf, caterpillars are eaten liy Orioles. birds known to de-stroy hairy caterpillars, and for this alone it may be rankedas one of the chief friends of the orchardist and tussock, gipsy, brown-tail, tent, and forest caterpillars, SONG BIBBS OF ORCHABB AND WOOBLANB. 227
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1913
