28 RELATION OF BIRDS TO COTTON BOLL WEEVIL. 



season. The weevils eaten by them were doubtless picked up from 

 the rubbish scattered about the fields. 



Only 4 of the savanna sparrows were examined, and of these 1 con- 

 tained a boll weevil. These sparrows were very numerous about the 

 fields and the number of weevils destroyed by them at this season 

 must be very large. Two other members of the sparrow family 

 were found to have eaten boll weevils — the little field sparrow and 

 the larger chewink or towhee bunting. Both of these species fre- 

 quent the dense thickets and the field sparrow is found also about the 

 brushy borders of the cotton fields. Five of the towhees and 4 of 

 the field sparrows were collected, and one of each had eaten a boll 

 weevil. 



The tufted titmouse occurs sparingly in this portion of Texas, 

 living in the timbered bottoms and in the post oaks. The single bird 

 collected at Gurley contained a boll weevil, which had probably been 

 secured in the upland timber. 



Ouero, Tex., March 12-22. — At this date most of the cotton had 

 been planted and much of it was up from 1 to 2 inches. On account 

 of the unusual mildness of the past winter, a great many plants of 

 seppa cotton were growing in the fields, and upon these plants most 

 of the weevils were feeding. On March 18, 100 plants of seppa were 

 examined for boll weevils and 14 of the insects found. 



Blackbirds of three species — Brewer blackbirds, redwings, and 

 cowbirds — were abundant in the fields, where they settled in large 

 flocks, numbering a thousand or more, to feed on insects turned up by 

 the plows. Meadow larks and savanna sparrows also were quite 

 numerous, but other birds were rather scarce. About 200 specimens 

 were taken, but only 6 individuals had eaten boll weevils. Of the 48 

 Brewer blackbirds collected, 3 had eaten 1 weevil apiece, and of the 

 60 cowbirds taken, 3 had likewise eaten 1 weevil'each. These results 

 indicate clearly that the birds do not find the weevils to any extent 

 after they have begun to feed on the young cotton, and demonstrate 

 the necessity for destroying every stalk of seppa cotton in order that 

 the weevils which emerge early from hibernation may be deprived 

 of food and at the same time exposed to the attacks of the birds. 



Victoria, Tex., March 25 to April 4- — Conditions here were much 

 the same as at Cuero. Cotton was 1 or 2 inches high and receiving 

 the first cultivation before being thinned. Boll weevils were numer- 

 ous, and said to have been more or less active all winter. Twenty 

 stalks of seppa examined on April 1 showed 12 feeding weevils. 

 Two hundred and twenty-nine birds were collected, but only 5 indi- 

 viduals had eaten boll weevils. 



Blackbirds were still abundant, though less so than in February. 

 Five species were represented, the most numerous being the redwings, 

 the bronzed grackles, and the great-tailed grackle or jackdaw. 



