﻿8 
  BIRDS 
  KNOWN 
  TO 
  EAT 
  THE 
  BOLL 
  WEEVIL. 
  

  

  infested 
  and 
  threatened 
  cotton 
  districts 
  for 
  reliable 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  Field 
  work 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  this 
  information 
  was 
  begun 
  at 
  Seguin, 
  

   Guadalupe 
  County, 
  in 
  southern 
  Texas, 
  October 
  31, 
  1904, 
  and 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on 
  at 
  several 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  boll 
  weevil 
  district 
  until 
  Decem- 
  

   ber 
  16. 
  Investigations 
  now 
  in 
  progress 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  laboratory 
  

   will 
  cover 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  including 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  greatest 
  

   abundance 
  and 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  weevils, 
  and 
  will 
  furnish 
  material 
  for 
  

   more 
  general 
  and 
  definite 
  conclusions. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  their 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  boll 
  weevil 
  the 
  Entomolo- 
  

   gists 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  examined 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   birds 
  collected 
  in 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  appear 
  

   in 
  Bulletin 
  51 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  on 
  the 
  Mexican 
  Cotton 
  

   Boll 
  Weevil. 
  These 
  results 
  have 
  been 
  tabulated 
  and 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  

   summary 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  report. 
  

  

  FIELD 
  NOTES. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  field 
  notes 
  relate 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  

   eaten 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  

  

  Carolina 
  wren 
  (Thryothorus 
  ludovicia?ius) 
  . 
  — 
  Carolina 
  wrens 
  were 
  

   common 
  at 
  Columbus, 
  Eagle 
  Lake, 
  and 
  Wharton, 
  were 
  fairly 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  at 
  Xavasota, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  Seguin. 
  They 
  were 
  rarely 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  but 
  were 
  constantly 
  dodging 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   brush 
  heaps, 
  log 
  piles, 
  and 
  vine 
  tangles, 
  running 
  over 
  the 
  rough 
  

   bark 
  of 
  old 
  trunks 
  and 
  roots 
  and 
  logs, 
  peeking 
  and 
  peering 
  and 
  pick- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  dark 
  corners 
  overlooked 
  by 
  larger 
  species, 
  and 
  even 
  

   hunting 
  among 
  the 
  dry 
  leaves 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  under 
  logs 
  and 
  brush. 
  

   They 
  were 
  generally 
  in 
  pairs, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  two 
  pairs 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  

   one 
  brush 
  heap, 
  while 
  almost 
  every 
  thicket 
  or 
  vine 
  tangle 
  contained 
  

   one 
  or 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  Those 
  observed 
  were 
  apparently 
  perma- 
  

   nent 
  residents. 
  Seven 
  were 
  shot, 
  5 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils 
  

   for 
  breakfast, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  had 
  eaten 
  2, 
  making 
  6 
  weevils 
  to 
  7 
  

   birds 
  at 
  one 
  meal. 
  As 
  all 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  taken 
  after 
  the 
  

   frosts, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  good 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   goes 
  on 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter. 
  

  

  Titlark, 
  Pipit 
  (Anthus 
  pensilv 
  aniens) 
  . 
  — 
  Titlarks 
  were 
  first 
  seen 
  at 
  

   Columbus, 
  November 
  14, 
  and 
  this 
  evidently 
  was 
  about 
  their 
  first 
  

   appearance. 
  Large 
  flocks 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  

   and 
  at 
  Eagle 
  Lake 
  and 
  Wharton 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later. 
  At 
  Navasota 
  

   they 
  were 
  still 
  numerous 
  in 
  flocks 
  of 
  100 
  or 
  more 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  

   departure, 
  December 
  16. 
  At 
  Wharton 
  and 
  Eagle 
  Lake, 
  where 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  collected, 
  flocks 
  of 
  100 
  to 
  500 
  were 
  constantly 
  in 
  

   the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  seeking 
  food 
  as 
  they 
  ran 
  or 
  walked 
  .over 
  the 
  ground. 
  

   When 
  flushed 
  they 
  flew 
  to 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  neighbor- 
  

   ing 
  field, 
  disappearing 
  among 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalks. 
  The 
  eight 
  indi- 
  

  

  