24 RELATION OF BIRDS TO COTTON BOLL WEEVIL. 



seen in the timber and around the dooryards in town. Cliff swal- 

 lows and bank swallows were quite numerous, and about 30 rough- 

 winged swallows were seen. Twenty-two birds were collected, but 

 only 3 had taken boll weevils. One cliff swallow had eaten 6, another 

 20 boll weevils, these being the only birds of the species taken. Two 

 bank swallows were collected, 1 of which had eaten 2 boll weevils. 



Victoria, Tex., September 10-15, 1906. — The cotton fields in the 

 river bottom here are extensive. Cotton worms were abundant and 

 quite generally distributed; some of the fields had been entirely 

 stripped of leaves and buds by them, while other fields were in proc- 

 ess of denudation. Boll weevils also were abundant, but on account 

 of the ravages of the cotton worms were concentrated on the green 

 cotton, and doubtless large numbers were flying about from field to 

 field in search of food. September 10, 25 plants were examined and 

 40 weevils found on them; September 14, 15 plants were examined 

 and 89 weevils found — an average on both days of about 3 to the 

 plant. This count was made, of course, in fields where there were 

 still a good many squares. 



Birds were abundant here, and 150 specimens of 22 species were 

 collected; 63 individuals of 12 species were found to have eaten boll 

 weevils. Four of the 7 species of flycatchers present here had eaten 

 weevils — the kingbird, olive-sided flycatcher, least flycatcher, and 

 alder flycatcher. The kingbird was quite numerous, and of the 12 

 specimens taken 6 had eaten a total of 8 weevils. Two olive-sided 

 flycatchers were taken, one of which had eaten 2 boll weevils. The 

 smaller flycatchers were quite numerous, and 3 species were taken; 

 of the 2 aider flycatchers taken 1 had eaten 2 weevils, and of the 

 4 least flycatchers 2 had eaten 5 weevils apiece. Both the orchard 

 oriole and the Baltimore oriole were present in some numbers, but 

 they seemed to feed on the weevil less frequently than during last 

 summer (1905). Fourteen orchard orioles were collected, and of 

 these only 3 had eaten weevils — 1 taking 2, another 1, and another 

 13 weevils. Of 13 Baltimore orioles taken, only 1 had eaten the 

 weevil — this one taking 9 weevils. It seems probable that the abun- 

 dance of cotton worms induced the orioles to neglect the boll weevils. 



Swallows were the most abundant birds here during the writer's 

 stay, and all of the 4 species taken proved to be feeding on boll 

 weevils. The cliff swallow was the most abundant species, and 

 several thousand passed over each day in their leisurely southward 

 migration. Frequently 25 to 50 were in sight at once over the cotton 

 fields, and on some days a continuous stream of swallows was passing 

 for several hours at a time. They flew usually at a height of 20 to 

 30 feet above the ground, occasionally, however, rising to a consider- 

 ably greater height. Thirty-three specimens were collected, and all 

 but 1 of them had eaten boll weevils. The total number of weevils 



