Bittersweet (_Solanum_ sp.) 4 Goose grass (_Galium aparine_) 1 Honeysuckle (_Lonicera_ sp.) 2 Indian currant (_Symphoricarpos orbiculatus_) 1 Downy arrowwood (_Viburnum pubescens_) 1 Nanny berries (_Viburnum lentago_) 2 Black elderberries (_Sambucus canadensis_) 4 Red elderberries (_Sambucus pubens_) 3 Fruit not further identified 60 In looking over this list one is impressed with the fact that the taste of human beings for fruit differs markedly from that of birds. For example, _Rhus_ seeds are hard and have little pulp to render them palatable or nutritious. They are usually passed through the alimentary canal of birds or regurgitated unharmed, and the slight outer coating alone is digested. In the case of the poisonous species, this outer coating is a white wax or tallow which appears to be very nutritious, for these species are eaten much more extensively than the nonpoisonous ones. The seed itself is rarely broken in the stomach to get any nutriment it may contain. But in spite of these facts _Rhus_ seeds were found in 49 stomachs, while fruits of huckleberries and blueberries, which are delicious to the human taste, were found in only 13 stomachs; and blackberries and raspberries, highly esteemed by man, were found in only 5 stomachs. Next to _Rhus_ the fruit most eaten was the dogwood berry, found in 34 stomachs, yet from a human estimate these berries are distasteful and contain such large seeds that they afford but very little actual food. _Summary._--The hermit thrush, as it name indicates, is of solitary habits and neither seeks human companionship nor molests cultivated products. It destroys nothing indirectly helpful to man, as beneficial insects, but aids in the destruction of the myriad hosts of insect life which at all times threaten vegetation. While it is not easy to point out any especially useful function of the hermit thrush, it fills its place in the economy of nature, from which it should not be removed. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 5 CENTS PER COPY * * * * * * * Transcriber's Notes The text presented is essentially that in the original printed document with the exception of some minor punctuation changes and the three typographical corrections detailed below. The original version also had two copies of the Table of Contents. The second copy which appeared on Page 1 was removed. Many of the tables which were presented in a two-column format and sometimes split between two pages were reformatted into one long table.