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-- One farmer made the statement that out of all corn husked in a pre- 
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P REPORT OF THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND MAMMALOGIST, - 455 
vious year there were few cobs which contained more than an inch or 
two of grain at the base, the rest having been removed by the birds. 
The time when most of the damage is done is when the kernels 
are soft and milky. The birds readily tear through the husk and 
reach the grain. The heavier ears, which by their weight take a 
horizontal position, suffer most, as the birds can gain a better footing 
than on the vertical ones. | 
Certain portions of a field, or fields in certain localities, suffer more 
than others. Sides of fields facing sloughs, or fields surrounded by 
them, and portions away from farm buildings suffer more severely 
than those favorably situated. Little damage is done to corn after 
the kernels harden. A few fragments were found in the stomachs 
_of birds captured in the field about the Ist of October, but the larger 
part of the contents of the stomachs consisted of the seeds of the 
Fox-tail grass (Setaria). 
Oats and wheat were said to be eaten by Blackbirds, but the greater 
damage done to these grains is by Gophers. 
The chief reason why the Blackbirds, which are mainly Red-wings 
and Yellow-heads (Agelaius pheniceus and Xanthocephalus xantho- 
cephalus), are so troublesome in this locality is that so small a pro- 
portion of land is planted to corn compared with the vast amount of 
surrounding prairie. The rank vegetation bordering the lakes and 
sloughs on the unimproved land furnishes safe retreat for nesting and 
roosting, from which the birds make frequent inroads upon the 
neighboring isolated corn-fields. 
The same state of affairs existed at Storm Lake, Iowa, some years 
ago, before corn was so extensively raised as at present. Now the 
loss is very little felt on account of the large area under cultivation. 
In endeavoring to lessen the damage done by the Blackbirds some 
farmers shoot large numbers as they go to and from the fields, and 
the frequent firing is thought to frighten a good many away. Others 
use poison alone or in connection with fire-arms. 
Strychnine is the favorite poison. It is placed in water with a 
quantity of green corn cutfrom the cob; the mixture is allowed to 
soak for some hours. A few kernels of this poisoned grain are 
placed on the ears that have been damaged by the birds in the fields. 
When the birds return they are supposed to eat the loose grain which 
they find. One farmer who had tried this method, and who visited 
their roosting places, reported a number of dead birds. 
GOPHERS. 
Although the damage done by Blackbirds is very great, and the 
total value of the grain destroyed by them reaches a high figure, it 
is doubtful whether it exceeds in amount the losses occasioned by 
Gophers. é 
In southwestern Minnesota and northern Iowa there are three 
species of Gophers, namely, the Gray Gopher (Spermophilus frank- 
lant), the Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and the 
Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius), the last species being by far the 
most destructive. 
_The Gray and Striped Gophers are more or less alike in habits, 
living a considerable portion of the time above ground and feeding 
on the same substances. Where abundant, as they are in many parts 
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