﻿CONCLUSIONS 
  AND 
  RECOMMENDATIONS. 
  15 
  

  

  all 
  within 
  the 
  squares 
  on 
  the 
  green 
  cotton 
  plants, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  simple 
  

   matter 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  squares 
  and 
  locate 
  all 
  the 
  weevils 
  along 
  a 
  

   cotton 
  row. 
  This 
  was 
  done 
  again 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  their 
  

   numbers 
  could 
  be 
  estimated, 
  and 
  in 
  no 
  case 
  did 
  they 
  average 
  more 
  

   than 
  one 
  to 
  a 
  hill 
  of 
  cotton, 
  and 
  rarely 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  hills. 
  

   Thus 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  consumed 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  equals 
  17.7 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  occupying 
  that 
  field 
  per 
  day, 
  or, 
  by 
  allow- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  birds 
  two 
  meals 
  a 
  day, 
  35.5 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  their 
  number, 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  weevils 
  is 
  after 
  all 
  comparatively 
  rapid; 
  but 
  as 
  this 
  

   ratio 
  depends 
  largely 
  on 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  weevils 
  — 
  the 
  more 
  

   numerous 
  the 
  weevils 
  naturally 
  the 
  greater 
  the 
  number 
  eaten 
  — 
  their 
  

   complete 
  extermination 
  by 
  birds 
  is 
  hardly 
  to 
  be 
  expected. 
  It 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  learn 
  just 
  how 
  many 
  times 
  a 
  day 
  a 
  bird's 
  stomach 
  is 
  

   filled 
  and 
  emptied, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  birds 
  with 
  crops 
  fill 
  

   both 
  crop 
  and 
  stomach 
  twice 
  a 
  day. 
  Most 
  insectivorous 
  birds 
  are 
  

   without 
  crops, 
  however, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  usually 
  feed 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  con- 
  

   tinuously 
  from 
  early 
  morning 
  to 
  evening 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  

   the 
  stomach 
  is 
  filled 
  and 
  emptied 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  times 
  daily. 
  As 
  exam- 
  

   inations 
  of 
  bird 
  stomachs 
  are 
  based 
  upon 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   day's 
  food, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  detected 
  is 
  probably 
  far 
  less 
  than 
  

   are 
  actually 
  destroyed 
  daily. 
  Even 
  the 
  incomplete 
  data 
  thus 
  far 
  

   obtained, 
  however, 
  suggest 
  that 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  no 
  cotton 
  

   can 
  be 
  raised 
  in 
  the 
  weevil-infested 
  area. 
  

  

  Until 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  protection 
  afforded 
  birds 
  by 
  law 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  Texas 
  was 
  very 
  inadequate, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   insectivorous 
  species 
  were 
  slaughtered 
  for 
  sport 
  or 
  for 
  their 
  plumage. 
  

   Thus 
  their 
  numbers 
  were 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  and 
  some 
  kinds 
  were 
  

   nearly 
  exterminated. 
  In 
  1903 
  a 
  State 
  law 
  was 
  passed 
  providing 
  for 
  

   the 
  protection 
  of 
  all 
  nongame 
  birds 
  and 
  fixing 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  for 
  

   turkeys, 
  grouse, 
  quail, 
  and 
  doves, 
  but 
  giving 
  no 
  protection 
  to 
  kill- 
  

   deer, 
  plover, 
  snipe, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  insectivorous 
  shore 
  birds 
  which 
  

   are 
  now 
  legitimate 
  game 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  The 
  law 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  

   shore 
  birds 
  should 
  be 
  changed, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  

   species 
  of 
  .plover, 
  the 
  killdeer, 
  feeds 
  upon 
  cotton 
  boll 
  weevils 
  to 
  a 
  

   greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  specimens 
  examined 
  having 
  eaten 
  

   three 
  adult 
  insects. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  killdeer 
  remains 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  

   the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  the 
  year 
  through 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  importance 
  not 
  only 
  

   of 
  extending 
  protection 
  to 
  this 
  particular 
  bird 
  at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  but 
  of 
  

   protecting 
  as 
  well 
  the 
  other 
  plovers 
  and 
  shore 
  birds 
  which 
  have 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  insectivorous 
  habits. 
  The 
  desirability 
  of 
  such 
  protection 
  is 
  em- 
  

   phasized 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  formerly 
  the 
  upland 
  plover, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   insectivorous 
  of 
  all 
  species, 
  abounded 
  on 
  the 
  Texas 
  prairies. 
  It 
  was, 
  

   however, 
  slaughtered 
  by 
  the 
  wagon 
  load 
  for 
  market, 
  and 
  now 
  where 
  it 
  

   once 
  swarmed 
  it 
  is 
  comparatively 
  rare. 
  It 
  is 
  highly 
  probable 
  that 
  

   this 
  species 
  would 
  lend 
  efficient 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  warfare 
  against 
  the 
  weevil 
  

  

  