Vol 'wi9 XVI ] General Notes. 431 



lina, where ricebircls are expected in large numbers about August 21, they 

 arrived this year August 1. 



The migration of the Bobolink is a long drawn out process. It begins 

 early in July, and whilst at its height in the United States from the middle 

 of August to that of September, the species has been known to arrive in 

 numbers in northern South America, early in September, a date prior to the 

 time great damage is still being done by large flocks in the United States. 

 By the middle of October, often earlier, cold weather has driven the birds 

 out of all of the United States but Florida; there Bobolinks linger and, it 

 is claimed by some, whiter. 



As a result of this straggling habit of migration no large proportion of 

 the species is present in a given area at one time. It is fortunate that this 

 is true, for the Ricebird is as destructive as ever where conditions permit. 

 War prices stimulated the once decadent rice industry of the South Atlantic 

 States and the acreage this yesr probably is in excess of 6000. The destruc- 

 tion of rice by Ricebircls must average about 25%, and the money loss for 

 rice alone, not including expense incurred in attempts to protect the crop, 

 probably in the neighborhood of $150,000. 



Were the loss much less it would be a mistake to protect the Bobolink, 

 since its depredations fall so heavily upon individual planters whose main 

 money crop is rice. Not only is rice damaged in the fall, but sprouted rice 

 and oats and wheat in the milk suffer almost as heavily from depredations 

 of the birds on their spring migration. From personal observation I 

 regard the Bobolink as the most exasperating bird pest of the United States. 

 Overwhelming flocks of them (I have seen 25,000 to 30,000 on 60 acres of 

 rice) pitch in the ricefields from which it is almost impossible to dislodge 

 them. It by great effort the flocks are put on the wing, they simply wheel 

 and in a few moments are settled upon the rice again. When this cereal 

 is in the milk the birds keep a steady stream of rice milk running through 

 them. In the intestines it seems hardly altered from the state in which 

 it is swallowed, and certainly only a small proportion of its nutriment is 

 used. The Ricebirds not only gorge themselves by day but even continue 

 their feeding on moonlight nights. At length they become so fat and lazy 

 as hardly to be dislodged from the rice by any means. In many fields, 

 half of the rice is destroyed, and in some all of it, or at least so much that 

 harvesting is unprofitable. Fancy yourself a rice planter, seeing the 

 promised results of your investment and labor melting away before the 

 onslaught of these pests, and you may well understand why the Bobolink's 

 song, however attractive, and its insectivorous habits in its breeding range, 

 seem trivial reasons for protection of so destructive a species. 



As a consequence of these investigations an order has been issued by the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, permitting the killing of the birds, in 

 Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of 

 Columbia from September 1 to October 30 inclusive, and in the states 

 from Virginia to Florida from August 16 to November 15, but no birds 

 may be sold or shipped for purpose of sale. — W. L. McAtee. 



