﻿14 
  BIRDS 
  KNOWN 
  TO 
  EAT 
  THE 
  BOLL 
  WEEVIL. 
  

  

  been 
  collected 
  at 
  another 
  season 
  they 
  might 
  appear 
  among 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  weevil. 
  

  

  EXAMINATION 
  OF 
  BIRD 
  STOMACHS. 
  

  

  It 
  being 
  found 
  impracticable 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  to 
  determine 
  with 
  any 
  

   degree 
  of 
  certainty 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  birds 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  

   all 
  stomachs 
  were 
  preserved 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  Washington, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  

   examined 
  and 
  the 
  boll 
  weevils 
  identified 
  by 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  E. 
  L. 
  Beal, 
  

   of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  

  

  INVESTIGATIONS 
  BY 
  BUREAU 
  OF 
  ENTOMOLOGY. 
  

  

  In 
  Bulletin 
  No. 
  51, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  on 
  the 
  

   Mexican 
  Cotton 
  Boll 
  Weevil, 
  are 
  given 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  A. 
  Schwarz 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  IT 
  species 
  of 
  birds. 
  

   These 
  birds 
  are 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  list 
  presented 
  below, 
  and 
  indicated 
  by 
  

   stars, 
  and 
  the 
  data 
  are 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  conclusions. 
  Except 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  mourning 
  doves 
  and 
  quail, 
  the 
  stomachs 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  

   birds 
  collected 
  at 
  Victoria, 
  Tex., 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  " 
  100 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   during 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  February, 
  7 
  during 
  June, 
  3 
  during 
  July, 
  26 
  

   during 
  August, 
  and 
  380 
  between 
  September 
  and 
  December." 
  ° 
  

  

  Out 
  of 
  the 
  17 
  species 
  of 
  birds, 
  11 
  species 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  

   as 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  table. 
  These 
  11 
  species 
  comprised 
  237 
  

   individuals, 
  of 
  which 
  44 
  individuals 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  The 
  6 
  

   species 
  of 
  birds 
  that 
  had 
  not 
  eaten 
  weevils 
  were 
  mourning 
  dove, 
  

   quail, 
  redwing 
  blackbird, 
  lark 
  sparrow, 
  grassfinch, 
  and 
  blue-gray 
  

   gnatcatcher. 
  

  

  Eliminating 
  the 
  mourning 
  doves, 
  which 
  practically 
  never 
  eat 
  

   insects, 
  and 
  the 
  quail, 
  which 
  eat 
  very 
  few 
  at 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  these 
  

   were 
  collected 
  (November), 
  there 
  remains 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  255 
  bird 
  stom- 
  

   achs 
  examined, 
  of 
  which 
  44 
  contained 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  

  

  CONCLUSIONS 
  AND 
  RECOMMENDATIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  stomachs 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  

   and 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  aside 
  from 
  mourning 
  doves 
  and 
  quail, 
  

   was 
  570. 
  Of 
  these, 
  78, 
  or 
  13.6 
  per 
  cent, 
  contained 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  The 
  

   total 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  by 
  78 
  birds 
  was 
  101, 
  or 
  17.7 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  stomachs. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  cotton 
  boll 
  

   weevils 
  eaten 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  examined 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  

   mind 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  collected 
  

   adult 
  weevils 
  were 
  not 
  numerous. 
  During 
  the 
  earlier 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  

   field 
  work 
  (October 
  31 
  to 
  November 
  12) 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  practically 
  

  

  a 
  The 
  Mexican 
  Cotton 
  Boll 
  Weevil, 
  by 
  W. 
  D. 
  Hunter 
  and 
  W. 
  E. 
  Hinds, 
  Bulle- 
  

   tin 
  No. 
  51, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  1905, 
  p. 
  151. 
  

  

  