﻿DECREASE 
  IN 
  NUMBER 
  OF 
  WEEVILS. 
  13 
  

  

  eating 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  usual 
  number 
  of 
  weevils, 
  as 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  

   driven 
  from 
  the 
  cover 
  of 
  the 
  protecting 
  bracts 
  and 
  forced 
  to 
  seek 
  

   winter 
  quarters. 
  

  

  Still 
  later, 
  at 
  Navasota, 
  December 
  10 
  to 
  16, 
  long 
  after 
  all 
  the 
  cot- 
  

   ton 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  and 
  dried 
  up 
  and 
  the 
  weevils 
  forced 
  to 
  seek 
  

   winter 
  quarters, 
  100 
  birds 
  were 
  collected, 
  mainly 
  in 
  woods, 
  brush, 
  

   and 
  weed 
  patches 
  surrounding 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields. 
  As 
  no 
  boll 
  weevils 
  

   could 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  assume 
  

   that 
  they 
  had 
  gone 
  into 
  winter 
  quarters. 
  Such, 
  briefly, 
  was 
  the 
  status 
  

   of 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  weevils 
  during 
  the 
  investigations. 
  

  

  CONDITIONS 
  OF 
  BIRD 
  LIFE 
  DURING 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  several 
  localities 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  cotton 
  

   fields 
  varied 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  At 
  Seguin 
  western 
  species 
  predomi- 
  

   nated, 
  while 
  at 
  Wharton 
  and 
  Navasota 
  mainly 
  eastern 
  birds 
  were 
  

   found. 
  During 
  the 
  time 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  investigations 
  the 
  resident 
  

   summer 
  birds 
  were 
  leaving 
  and 
  the 
  winter 
  species 
  were 
  arriving. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  insectivorous 
  summer 
  residents, 
  such 
  as 
  orioles, 
  flycatch- 
  

   ers, 
  swallows, 
  martins, 
  night-hawks, 
  and 
  whip-poor-wills, 
  had 
  disap- 
  

   peared 
  when 
  the 
  work 
  began, 
  and 
  their 
  places 
  were 
  filled 
  by 
  numerous 
  

   seed-eating 
  migrants 
  of 
  the 
  sparrow 
  family. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  well- 
  

   known 
  change 
  of 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  resident 
  species, 
  like 
  the 
  quail, 
  which 
  

   are 
  largely 
  insectivorous 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  mainly 
  seed-eating 
  

   during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter, 
  when 
  the 
  present 
  investigations 
  were 
  

   chiefly 
  made, 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  account 
  in 
  estimating 
  their 
  value 
  as 
  

   destroyers 
  of 
  weevils. 
  

  

  DECREASE 
  IN 
  NUMBER 
  OF 
  WEEVILS. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  354 
  birds 
  killed, 
  approximately 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  

   weevils. 
  Examination 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  collected 
  at 
  different 
  dates 
  

   shows 
  a 
  slight 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  

   advanced. 
  In 
  round 
  numbers, 
  those 
  eaten 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  green 
  

   cotton, 
  October 
  31 
  to 
  November 
  12, 
  were 
  11 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   birds 
  killed; 
  for 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  change 
  from 
  green 
  to 
  dry 
  after 
  the 
  

   first 
  hard 
  frost, 
  November 
  13 
  to 
  20, 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   birds; 
  for 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  dry 
  cotton 
  after 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  

   weevils, 
  December 
  10 
  to 
  16, 
  8 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  fact, 
  as 
  stated 
  above, 
  

   that 
  fewer 
  weevils 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  birds 
  shot 
  during 
  the 
  

   later 
  period 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  one, 
  is 
  evidently 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  diminished 
  

   supply 
  of 
  weevils. 
  

  

  Out 
  of 
  the 
  38 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  collected 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  eaten 
  boll 
  

   weevils, 
  17 
  species 
  were 
  represented 
  by 
  only 
  1 
  specimen 
  each, 
  hence 
  

   the 
  negative 
  evidence 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  these 
  is 
  of 
  little 
  significance. 
  If 
  

   greater 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  had 
  been 
  collected 
  or 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  

  

  