CONSERVATION OF GAME BIRDS. 499 



tricolor); woodcock (Philohela minor); jacksnipe {Gallinago 

 delicata); pectoral sandpiper {Pisobia maculata); Baird sand- 

 piper (Pisobia bairdi); upland plover (Bartramia longicauda); 

 killdeer {Oxyechus vocijerus). Crane-fly larvae are frequently 

 seriously destructive locally in grass lands and wheat fields. 

 Among their numerous bird enemies, shorebirds rank high. 



"Another group of insects of which the shorebirds are very 

 fond is grasshoppers. Severe local infestations of grasshoppers, 

 frequently involving the destruction of many acres of corn, 

 cotton, and other crops, are by no means exceptional. Aughey 

 found 23 species of shorebirds feeding on Rocky Mountain 

 locusts in Nebraska, some of them consuming large numbers, 

 as shown below: 9 killdeer stomachs contained an average of 

 28 locusts each; 11 semipalmated plover stomachs contained 

 an average of 38 locusts each; 16 mountain plover stomachs 

 contained an average of 45 locusts each; 11 jacksnipe stom- 

 achs contained an average of 37 locusts each; 22 upland 

 plover stomachs contained an average of 36 locusts each; 

 10 long-billed curlew stomachs contained an average of 48 

 locusts each." 



Nearly all shore birds are fond of grasshoppers and many 

 species feed also on weevils, wireworms, leaf beetles and other 

 pests of the fields. Along the shores large numbers of the 

 marine worms which prey upon oysters are eaten by shore 

 birds. Mr. McAtee says that commonly from one hundred to 

 two hundred of these worms are eaten at a meal. We have 

 been devoting too much of our time to shooting shore birds 

 and not enough to protecting them. 



The economic value of wild-fowl is as great as that of game 

 birds. The term wild-fowl may include all wild birds, but 

 as commonly used it denotes merely water-fowl which are 

 hunted for food or sport. Wild-fowl were very important as 

 a source of food supply during the settlement of this country, 

 and later, when markets for game were opened, they became 

 a valuable asset to the people, and yielded vast sums annually 

 to settlers, hunters and marketmen. Even to-day, in parts of 

 the west and south where the sale of game is still legal, the 

 sums annually received by hunters from the marketing of 



