﻿POOD 
  HABITS. 
  SO 
  

  

  crops. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  stomachs 
  examined 
  contained 
  

   the 
  useful 
  sharp- 
  jawed 
  beetles, 
  but 
  many 
  contained 
  the 
  blunt- 
  jawed 
  

   species, 
  especially 
  such 
  forms 
  as 
  Amara 
  sp., 
  Agonoderus 
  pallipes, 
  

   Anisodactylus 
  baltimorensis, 
  Anisodactylus 
  rusticus, 
  Harpalus 
  penn- 
  

   sylvanicns, 
  and 
  Harpalus 
  caliginosus. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall, 
  in 
  August, 
  

   1902, 
  a 
  covey 
  of 
  bobwhites 
  was 
  seen 
  greedily 
  eating 
  beetles 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   species 
  of 
  Harpalus 
  named 
  above, 
  which 
  were 
  numerous 
  in 
  wheat 
  

   stubble 
  overgrown 
  by 
  ragweed. 
  The 
  meadow 
  lark, 
  also, 
  was 
  feeding 
  

   on 
  them. 
  The 
  liking 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  for 
  Harpalus 
  pennsylv 
  aniens 
  

   was 
  further 
  proved 
  by 
  experiments 
  with 
  caged 
  birds. 
  It 
  eats 
  also 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  of 
  these 
  beetles, 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  robin 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  birds. 
  

   Though 
  the 
  genus 
  Harpalus 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  is 
  useful, 
  destruction 
  of 
  these 
  

   two 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  amiss, 
  for 
  they 
  injure 
  ripening 
  strawberries 
  by 
  

   eating 
  out 
  the 
  seeds. 
  Through 
  their 
  depredations 
  on 
  a 
  quarter-acre 
  

   patch 
  a 
  grower 
  at 
  Leesburg, 
  Va., 
  in 
  three 
  nights 
  lost 
  $350 
  worth 
  of 
  

   fruit. 
  The 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  by 
  the 
  beetle 
  has 
  so 
  far 
  made 
  reme- 
  

   dial 
  measures 
  impracticable; 
  therefore, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  

   and 
  other 
  birds 
  should 
  be 
  estimated 
  at 
  its 
  full 
  value. 
  

  

  Leaf-eating 
  beetles, 
  next 
  in 
  importance 
  after 
  ground 
  beetles 
  in 
  the 
  

   diet 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite, 
  include 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  beetle 
  pests, 
  and 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  not 
  already 
  actively 
  injurious 
  are 
  potentially 
  

   so. 
  These 
  beetles 
  also 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  protective 
  secretions, 
  more 
  

   effectively 
  repellant 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  species, 
  at 
  least, 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  

   ground 
  beetles, 
  but 
  luckily 
  ineffectual 
  against 
  bobwhite. 
  He 
  eats 
  

   the 
  most 
  injurious 
  of 
  these 
  insects, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  potato 
  beetle 
  (Lepti- 
  

   notarsa 
  decemlineata) 
  , 
  the 
  striped 
  cucumber 
  beetle 
  (Diabrotica 
  vit- 
  

   tata), 
  the 
  twelve-spotted 
  cucumber 
  beetle 
  (Diabrotica 
  12 
  -punctata) 
  , 
  

   and 
  the 
  squash 
  ladybird 
  (Epilachna 
  borealis). 
  The 
  first 
  named 
  is 
  

   perhaps 
  more 
  correctly 
  termed 
  the 
  Colorado 
  potato 
  beetle. 
  It 
  was 
  

   a 
  native 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  originally, 
  feeding. 
  on 
  the 
  horse- 
  

   nettle 
  (Solanum 
  rostratum) 
  , 
  a 
  plant 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  potato. 
  It 
  began 
  

   to 
  migrate 
  eastward 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  before 
  the 
  civil 
  war, 
  and 
  fifteen 
  

   or 
  sixteen 
  years 
  later 
  reached 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  Since 
  then, 
  as 
  

   every 
  one 
  knows, 
  this 
  beetle 
  has 
  threatened 
  the 
  potato 
  crop 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  Birds 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  avoid 
  it 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  secretions. 
  There- 
  

   fore 
  the 
  bobwhite's 
  services 
  in 
  destroying 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  highly 
  valued, 
  

   the 
  more 
  so 
  because 
  the 
  bird's 
  habit 
  of 
  eating 
  the 
  potato 
  bug 
  is 
  not 
  

   merely 
  occasional 
  nor 
  limited 
  to 
  special 
  localities. 
  Records 
  have 
  

   come 
  to 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  Virginia, 
  Mary- 
  

   land, 
  Iowa, 
  Kansas, 
  Nebraska, 
  Texas, 
  and 
  Ontario 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  

   that 
  more 
  extended 
  observations 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  habit 
  is 
  general 
  

   wherever 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  the 
  beetles 
  inhabit 
  the 
  same 
  district. 
  During 
  

   the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  June, 
  at 
  Marshall 
  Hall, 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  birds 
  was 
  observed 
  

   patroling 
  rows 
  of 
  badly 
  infested 
  potato 
  vines 
  and 
  diligently 
  picking 
  

   off 
  the 
  beetles. 
  Writing 
  of 
  the 
  bird's 
  relation 
  to 
  this 
  insect, 
  C. 
  E. 
  

  

  