﻿18 
  HORNED 
  LAEKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  stomachs 
  of 
  California 
  birds 
  should 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  weed 
  seed. 
  Wild 
  

   oats 
  and 
  those 
  wasted 
  in 
  handling 
  the 
  cultivated 
  crops 
  must 
  furnish 
  

   practically 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  grain 
  eaten 
  by 
  these 
  larks, 
  since 
  there 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  they 
  injure 
  cultivated 
  oats 
  at 
  any 
  time. 
  

  

  OTHER 
  GRAINS 
  AND 
  FORAGE 
  PLANTS. 
  

  

  Buckwheat 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  grains 
  eaten 
  by 
  

   horned 
  larks. 
  All 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  consumed 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  Jul} 
  T 
  , 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  

   therefore, 
  scattered 
  grain 
  from 
  the 
  early 
  crop, 
  or 
  seed 
  sown 
  for 
  the 
  

   later 
  one. 
  Only 
  nine 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  number 
  examined 
  had 
  eaten 
  

   buckwheat, 
  and 
  it 
  constitutes 
  but 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  one-half 
  of 
  1 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Kafir 
  corn 
  and 
  other 
  sorghum 
  seeds 
  

   were 
  eaten 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks, 
  but 
  altogether 
  they 
  make 
  up 
  

   less 
  than 
  1 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  food, 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  must 
  be 
  waste 
  

   grain. 
  

  

  Some 
  slight 
  injury 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  forage 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  

   here. 
  Professor 
  Barrows 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  noted 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  about 
  sixty 
  

   birds 
  which 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  a 
  newly 
  sown 
  millet 
  field 
  in 
  Michigan. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  had 
  eaten 
  millet 
  seeds 
  to 
  some 
  extent. 
  This 
  is 
  

   the 
  only 
  instance 
  noted 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  

   eaten 
  cultivated 
  millet, 
  though 
  they 
  eat 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  

   of 
  the 
  wild 
  species. 
  Some 
  grasses 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Paspalum 
  are 
  included 
  

   among 
  the 
  forage 
  plants, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  unmitigated 
  nuisances 
  

   as 
  weeds. 
  To 
  sum 
  up 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  it 
  ma} 
  7 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  if 
  

   any 
  injury 
  to 
  forage 
  plants 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  larks, 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  

   trilling 
  for 
  serious 
  consideration. 
  

  

  The 
  loss 
  to 
  grain 
  growers 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  

   is 
  not, 
  however, 
  to 
  be 
  waived 
  aside 
  as 
  of 
  no 
  moment. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  

   true 
  that 
  on 
  most 
  farms 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  enough 
  grain 
  is 
  wasted 
  

   to 
  feed 
  all 
  the 
  wild 
  birds 
  that 
  occur 
  on 
  them, 
  sometimes 
  grain 
  is 
  eaten 
  

   that 
  is 
  not 
  waste, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  instances 
  above 
  cited. 
  Admitting, 
  then, 
  

   that 
  the 
  shore 
  larks 
  destroy 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  grain, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  

   that 
  whenever 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  crops 
  by 
  birds 
  is 
  excessive 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  

   easier 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  better 
  method 
  of 
  dealing 
  with 
  them 
  than 
  by 
  their 
  

   wholesale 
  destruction. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  good 
  husband^ 
  to 
  build 
  and 
  

   keep 
  in 
  repair 
  fences 
  about 
  grain 
  fields 
  to 
  prevent 
  cattle 
  from 
  injur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  crops, 
  and 
  no 
  one 
  thinks 
  of 
  shooting 
  the 
  animals 
  when 
  they 
  

   break 
  through. 
  We 
  simply 
  strengthen 
  the 
  defenses. 
  The 
  birds 
  

   should 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  fair-minded 
  way, 
  having 
  due 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  useful 
  and 
  valuable 
  allies, 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  damage 
  they 
  occasionally 
  do 
  can 
  be 
  rendered 
  insignificant 
  or 
  

   wholly 
  prevented 
  by 
  simple 
  and 
  inexpensive 
  means. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  

   modern 
  press 
  drill 
  in 
  sowing 
  grain 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  these, 
  and 
  is 
  sufficient 
  

  

  