﻿GRAIN 
  AS 
  FOOD. 
  17 
  

  

  task 
  of 
  breaking 
  up 
  the 
  kernels. 
  The 
  writer 
  watched 
  horned 
  larks 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  prairie 
  land 
  in 
  Indiana 
  where 
  many 
  whole 
  grains 
  of 
  corn 
  

   were 
  scattered 
  about, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  passed 
  them 
  by. 
  

  

  Nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  consumed 
  is 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  none 
  

   is 
  eaten 
  in 
  August, 
  September, 
  and 
  October. 
  Many 
  fragments 
  taken 
  

   in 
  winter 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  hard 
  and 
  apparently 
  are 
  not 
  much 
  affected 
  

   by 
  digestion, 
  and 
  the 
  larks 
  would 
  certainly 
  fare 
  badly 
  if 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  

   food 
  were 
  of 
  this 
  character; 
  but 
  gleaning 
  constantly 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  along 
  

   the 
  roads, 
  in 
  barnyards, 
  and 
  feeding 
  lots, 
  they 
  get 
  many 
  fragments 
  of 
  

   corn 
  from, 
  the 
  droppings 
  of 
  farm 
  animals. 
  From 
  these 
  sources, 
  and 
  

   from 
  fields 
  where 
  the 
  grain 
  has 
  been 
  crushed 
  b}^ 
  the 
  tires 
  of 
  wagons 
  

   and 
  the 
  hoofs 
  of 
  cattle, 
  comes 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  they 
  consume. 
  

  

  Consideration 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  facts 
  shows 
  that 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   corn 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  is 
  waste, 
  and 
  hence 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  to 
  

   the 
  farmer. 
  

  

  OATS. 
  

  

  Oats 
  constitute 
  the 
  greater 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  

   larks, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  the 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  grain 
  

   taken, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  wheat, 
  is 
  consumed 
  b}^ 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  of 
  

   California. 
  The 
  latter 
  eat 
  oats 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  31.1 
  percent 
  of 
  their 
  

   food, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  the 
  larks 
  consume 
  only 
  4:.&6 
  per- 
  

   cent. 
  During 
  sowing 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rockies 
  only 
  

   a 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  oats 
  is 
  eaten. 
  One 
  bird 
  was 
  collected 
  in 
  a 
  newly 
  

   sown 
  oat 
  field 
  in 
  Michigan, 
  March 
  31, 
  and 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  oats 
  was 
  found 
  

   in 
  its 
  stomach. 
  

  

  Nearly 
  nine-tenths 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  oats 
  consumed 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  eaten 
  

   during 
  the 
  months 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  January, 
  inclusive. 
  In 
  the 
  East- 
  

   ern 
  States 
  all 
  grain 
  eaten 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  is 
  waste, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  sowing 
  in 
  

   California 
  occurs 
  in 
  October 
  or 
  in 
  February, 
  oats 
  eaten 
  in 
  this 
  State 
  

   during 
  these 
  months 
  may 
  lessen 
  the 
  crop. 
  No 
  horned 
  larks 
  were 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  in 
  newly 
  sown 
  oat 
  fields 
  in 
  California, 
  but 
  from 
  data 
  accompany- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  birds 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  stubble 
  feeding 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  habit 
  from 
  

   October 
  to 
  January. 
  Where 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  broken 
  up 
  every 
  }^ear 
  the 
  

   stubble 
  grain 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  consequence; 
  but 
  if 
  a 
  volunteer 
  crop 
  is 
  depended 
  

   on, 
  then 
  every 
  grain 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  stubble 
  field 
  lessens 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   crop. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  case, 
  where 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  the 
  

   larks 
  do 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  injury, 
  it 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  forgotten 
  that 
  

   they 
  eat 
  ants 
  and 
  weevils 
  which 
  are 
  injurious 
  to 
  crops, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  

   devour 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  weeds 
  which 
  might 
  render 
  the 
  hay 
  crop 
  almost 
  

   worthless. 
  

  

  Oats 
  grow 
  wild 
  everywhere 
  in 
  California 
  and 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  remain 
  

   tenaciously 
  on 
  ground 
  once 
  occupied. 
  Professor 
  Beal, 
  after 
  studying 
  

   conditions 
  in 
  this 
  State, 
  considers 
  that, 
  in 
  general, 
  oats 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   7376— 
  No. 
  23—05 
  3 
  

  

  