﻿FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  31 
  

  

  seeds, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  eat 
  a 
  lima 
  bean. 
  It 
  may 
  take 
  also 
  

   Kafir 
  corn 
  and 
  sorghum, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  decided 
  liking 
  'for 
  millet 
  

   (Chcetochloa 
  italica), 
  a 
  taste 
  particularly 
  noticeable 
  in 
  birds 
  of 
  Kan- 
  

   sas, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  South 
  Dakota. 
  A 
  crop 
  from 
  Onaga, 
  Ivans., 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  1,000 
  millet 
  seeds. 
  No 
  significant 
  damage 
  to 
  millet 
  has 
  been 
  

   reported 
  and 
  the 
  birds 
  may 
  secure 
  most 
  of 
  this 
  food 
  from 
  stubble 
  

   fields. 
  

  

  Weed 
  Seeds 
  as 
  Food. 
  

  

  Weeds 
  appropriate 
  the 
  space, 
  light, 
  water, 
  and 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  

   that 
  directly 
  or 
  indirectly 
  support 
  man. 
  A 
  million 
  weeds 
  may 
  spring- 
  

   up 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  acre, 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  plant 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  may 
  

   mature 
  100,000 
  seeds 
  in 
  a 
  season. 
  This 
  process, 
  if 
  unchecked, 
  may 
  

   produce 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  year 
  10,000,000,000 
  weeds. 
  The 
  

   problem 
  of 
  weed 
  destruction 
  is 
  perennial 
  in 
  every 
  land; 
  indeed, 
  soil 
  

   culture 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  never 
  ceasing 
  war 
  against 
  weeds. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   birds 
  that 
  aid 
  the 
  farmer 
  in 
  this 
  strug- 
  

   gle 
  the 
  bobwhite, 
  the 
  native 
  sparrows, 
  

   and 
  the 
  mourning 
  dove 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  ^ 
  ^ 
  

   efficient. 
  They 
  attack 
  weeds 
  at 
  that 
  $ 
  

  

  vital 
  stage 
  — 
  the 
  seed 
  period 
  — 
  hence 
  ^ 
  ^ 
  

   their 
  work, 
  especially 
  against 
  the 
  an- 
  ^ 
  ® 
  

   nuals 
  which 
  depend 
  on 
  seeds 
  for 
  per- 
  % 
  

  

  petuation, 
  is 
  of 
  enormous 
  practical 
  F 
  

  

  1 
  E 
  R 
  ^W 
  *< 
  

  

  va 
  I 
  n 
  e 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1.— 
  Seed 
  of 
  witch, 
  grass 
  (Panicum 
  

  

  The 
  bobwhite 
  is 
  preeminently 
  a 
  capuiare). 
  (From 
  Bun. 
  38, 
  Nevada- 
  

   seed 
  eater, 
  52.83 
  per 
  Cent 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station.) 
  

  

  for 
  the 
  year 
  consisting 
  of 
  seeds. 
  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  seeds 
  

   of 
  plants 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  category 
  of 
  weeds. 
  Many 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  injurious 
  plants 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  farmer 
  is 
  constantly 
  at 
  

   strife; 
  others 
  are 
  less 
  noxious 
  and 
  some 
  are 
  seldom, 
  if 
  ever, 
  trouble- 
  

   some. 
  Sixty-odd 
  species 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  eaten, 
  and 
  thorough 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  would 
  probably 
  raise 
  the 
  number 
  to 
  a 
  hundred 
  or 
  more. 
  The 
  

   food 
  of 
  no 
  other 
  bird 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  acquainted 
  is 
  so 
  varied. 
  

   At 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  and 
  in 
  Mecklenburg 
  and 
  Westmoreland 
  counties, 
  

   Va., 
  a 
  somewhat 
  detailed 
  study 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  weed 
  seed 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  the 
  bird. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  fields 
  of 
  wheat 
  stubble 
  grown 
  up 
  

   to 
  ragweed 
  were 
  favorite 
  feeding 
  grounds. 
  Among 
  others 
  found 
  

   there 
  were 
  buttonweed 
  seeds, 
  each 
  like 
  a 
  miniature 
  horsehoof, 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  frog 
  ; 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  sometimes 
  contained 
  in 
  

   a 
  single 
  stomach. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  shot 
  on 
  wheat 
  stubble 
  had 
  eaten 
  

   largely 
  of 
  bastard 
  pennyroyal 
  seeds, 
  which 
  are 
  rough 
  and 
  resemble 
  

   blackberry 
  seeds. 
  Goldfinches 
  and 
  other 
  seed 
  eaters 
  also 
  find 
  these 
  

   palatable. 
  Along 
  ditches 
  the 
  abundant 
  grasses 
  — 
  witch 
  grass 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  

   and 
  spreading 
  panicum 
  — 
  provide 
  the 
  birds 
  with 
  shade 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  

   5112— 
  No. 
  21—05 
  M 
  5 
  

  

  