File:Birds and nature (1906) (14772187173).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature31906chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ing an egg with every sting, while the caterpillar jerks itshead to and fro in the effort to driveaway its little tormentor. From the eggslaid, minute worms are hatched whichburrow into the substance of the cater-pillar, feeding on its tissues until abouta fourth of an inch long, when theywork their way out through its skin (aprocess I have watched through a mi-croscope), and spin the little white co-coons which, standing on end on itsback, are so often mistaken for eggs.After about three- days these cocoonsopen by a lid at the top and out comes aswarm of pert little Microgaster fliesready to attack the nearest sphinx cat-erpillar, and so help to hold in checka species which might otherwise stripand destroy our vines. For the cater-pillar, though a voracious feeder, findsitself so weakened by providing nour-ishment for its uninvited guests, thatit usually shrivels and dies withoutforming a pupa, or at least dies in thatstage without becoming a perfect insect.. Emklie A. Salisbury. 152
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THE OVEN-BIRD (Seiurus aurocapillus,) It was during my spring-morningwalks along the east side of WoodedIsland, Jackson Park, Chicago, that I be-came acquainted with the Oven-bird. Itwas the latter part of April, and variouswarblers had been on hand for sometime; the leaves had not yet come out,so there was no foliage to obscure theview or give concealment to the feath-ered folk. There was not much about the bird toattract attention; a trim, olive-green bird,somewhat like an undersized thrush,walking along in a peculiar stately fash-ion, beside the pathways that threadedhere and there among the bushes. Asthe bird walked along it kept tilting itstail in a jerking way, as if to balanceitself, and now and then it scratchedamong the leaves in a business-like fash-ion. Getting acquainted was not however,so easy a matter as one might suppose;for about the same time and along in thesame copses, the Oven-birds close rela-tive, the water-thrush appeared, and atthe distance they usually kept fr

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