208 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



seems in no way diminished, and the aggregate annual loss they occa- 

 sion is about $2,000,000." 



Extracts from a letter from Capt. William Miles Hazzard, of Annandale, 

 S. C., one of the largest rice-growers in the state. 



" The Bobolinks make their appearance here during the latter part of 

 April. At that season their plumage is white and black, and they sing 

 merrily when at rest. Their flight is always at night. In the evening 

 there are none. In the morning their appearance is heralded by the 

 popping of whips and firing of musketry by the bird-minders in their 

 efforts to keep the birds from pulling up the young rice. This warfare 

 is kept up incessantly until about the 25th of May, when they suddenly 

 disappear at night. Their next appearance is in a dark-yellow plumage, 

 as the Eice-bird. There is no song at this time, but instead a chirp, which 

 means ruin to any rice found in milk. My plantation record will show 

 that for the past ten years, except when prevented by stormy south or 

 southwest winds, the Eice-birds have come punctually on the night of 

 the 21st of August, apparently coming from seaward. All night their 

 chirp can be heard passing over our summer homes on South Island, 

 which island is situated six miles to the east of our rice plantations, in 

 full view of tne ocean. Curious to say, we have never seen this flight 

 during the day. During the nights of August 21, 22, 23 and 24, millions 

 of these birds make their appearance and settle in the rice fields. From 

 the 21st of August to the 25th of September our every effort is to save 

 the crop. Men, boys and women are posted with guns and ammunition 

 to every four or five acres, and shoot daily an average of about one quart 

 of powder to the gun. This firing commences at first dawn of day and 

 is kept up until sunset. After all this expense and trouble our loss of 

 rice per acre seldom falls under five bushels, and if from any cause there 

 is a check to the crop during the growth, which prevents the grain from 

 being hard, but in milky condition, the destruction of such fields is com- 

 plete, it not paying to cut and bring the rice out of the field. We have 

 tried every plan to keep these pests off our crops at less expense and 

 manual labor than we now incur, but have been unsuccessful. Our pres- 

 ent mode is expensive, imperfect and thoroughly unsatisfactory, yet it 

 is the best we can do. I consider these birds as destructive to rice as 

 the caterpillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Eice-birds 

 never fail to come. If the government could devise some means to aid 

 us in keeping off these birds it would render us great assistance. The 

 loss by birds and the expense of minding them off in order to make 

 anything, renders the cultivation of rice a dangerous speculation. Dur- 

 ing the bird season we employ about one hundred bird-minders, who 

 shoot from three to five kegs of powder daily, of twenty-five pounds 

 each ; add to this shot and caps, and you will have some idea what these 

 birds cost one planter." 



