﻿GRAIN 
  AS 
  FOOD. 
  13 
  

  

  no 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  while 
  in 
  some 
  form 
  or 
  other 
  it 
  made 
  up 
  the 
  entire 
  

   stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  63-t. 
  In 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  are 
  represented 
  

   no 
  fewer 
  than 
  105 
  species 
  of 
  plants. 
  This 
  great 
  variety 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  

   for 
  economic 
  consideration 
  under 
  the 
  following 
  heads: 
  Weeds, 
  forage 
  

   plants, 
  fruits, 
  and 
  grain. 
  

  

  Grain. 
  

  

  Grain 
  furnishes 
  40.2 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  in 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  and 
  12.2 
  percent 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  larks 
  in 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Oats, 
  corn, 
  and 
  wheat 
  form 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  this, 
  kafir 
  corn 
  and 
  buckwheat 
  

   being 
  taken 
  in 
  insignificant 
  amounts. 
  

  

  Were 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  eaten 
  b} 
  T 
  horned 
  larks 
  a 
  direct 
  loss 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmer, 
  the 
  damage 
  would 
  be 
  considerable. 
  But 
  such 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  

   case. 
  As 
  would 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  birds 
  so 
  essentially 
  terrestrial 
  in 
  

   habits, 
  horned 
  larks 
  do 
  not 
  injure 
  standing 
  grain, 
  nor 
  do 
  they 
  feed 
  

   upon 
  grain 
  in 
  stacks 
  and 
  shocks. 
  The 
  grain 
  they 
  obtain 
  from 
  the 
  

   surface 
  is 
  either 
  newly 
  sown 
  seed 
  or 
  waste, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  lost 
  to 
  

   the 
  farmer 
  in 
  any 
  event, 
  it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  conclude 
  that 
  whatever 
  damage 
  

   the 
  birds 
  do 
  occurs 
  in 
  sowing 
  time. 
  

  

  Wheat 
  is 
  damaged 
  more 
  than 
  other 
  grain 
  crops 
  during 
  the 
  sowing 
  

   season, 
  and 
  the 
  injuiy 
  is 
  greater 
  in 
  California 
  than 
  elsewhere. 
  Details 
  

   of 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  larks 
  in 
  this 
  State 
  are 
  given 
  by 
  several 
  corre- 
  

   spondents. 
  A. 
  A. 
  Eaton, 
  of 
  Riverdale, 
  Fresno 
  County, 
  writes 
  sub- 
  

   stantially 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  the 
  worst 
  pests 
  in 
  the 
  bird 
  line 
  farmers 
  have 
  to 
  endure 
  are 
  the 
  horned 
  

   larks. 
  In 
  winter 
  they 
  come 
  in 
  thousands 
  and 
  eat 
  wheat 
  sown 
  broadcast 
  so 
  badly 
  

   that 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  to 
  drill 
  it 
  in. 
  They 
  leave 
  the 
  whole 
  wheat, 
  however, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  

   find 
  any 
  that 
  has 
  sprouted. 
  They 
  then 
  select 
  spots, 
  generally 
  where 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  

   some 
  weeds, 
  and 
  pull 
  up, 
  and 
  even 
  scratch, 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  a 
  hen, 
  the 
  better 
  to 
  get 
  

   at 
  the 
  whole. 
  In 
  such 
  places 
  not 
  a 
  stalk 
  is 
  left 
  standing. 
  

  

  M. 
  S. 
  Featherstone, 
  of 
  Goshen, 
  Tulare 
  County, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   midst 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  wheat-growing 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  says: 
  

  

  Small 
  brown 
  birds 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  wheat 
  birds 
  are 
  quite 
  numerous 
  during 
  the 
  

   sowing 
  season 
  some 
  years. 
  Ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  years 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  unusually 
  active, 
  and 
  

   many 
  people 
  sowed 
  poisoned 
  wheat 
  and 
  left 
  it 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  destroy 
  them 
  

   before 
  the 
  regular 
  sowing. 
  I 
  had 
  about 
  4 
  acres 
  left, 
  not 
  harrowed, 
  one 
  Saturday 
  

   night, 
  and 
  every 
  kernel 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  gone 
  by 
  Monday 
  morning, 
  picked 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  wheat 
  

   birds 
  and 
  meadow 
  larks. 
  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  

   February 
  last 
  year 
  (1895) 
  wheat 
  birds 
  were 
  plentiful 
  and 
  did 
  much 
  damage. 
  The 
  

   early 
  sown 
  grain 
  was 
  not 
  injured 
  by 
  them. 
  I 
  put 
  out 
  some 
  poisoned 
  grain 
  (a 
  gallon 
  

   or 
  so), 
  and 
  my 
  boys 
  picked 
  up 
  about 
  600 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days. 
  They 
  also 
  found 
  3 
  mourning 
  

   doves 
  and 
  some 
  meadow 
  larks 
  (a 
  dozen 
  or 
  two). 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  wheat 
  birds 
  also 
  pull 
  

   up 
  the 
  sprouting 
  grain. 
  These 
  little 
  birds 
  are 
  yellowish 
  on 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  fly 
  in 
  

   flocks. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  noticed 
  them 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  spring. 
  

  

  