﻿WEED 
  SEEDS 
  AS 
  FOOD. 
  21 
  

  

  Smartweed 
  and 
  bindweed 
  were 
  eaten 
  by 
  187 
  birds, 
  crab 
  grass 
  by 
  151, 
  

   and 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  sedges 
  b} 
  7 
  more 
  than 
  150. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  are 
  harsh, 
  coarse 
  plants, 
  unsuited 
  for 
  forage, 
  but 
  which 
  

   often 
  adulterate 
  forage 
  crops 
  injuriously. 
  Grass 
  and 
  sedge 
  seeds 
  

   (fig. 
  C) 
  form 
  26.21 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   these 
  seeds 
  are 
  very 
  small, 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  taken 
  

   by 
  the 
  birds 
  at 
  a 
  meal, 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  500 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  sin- 
  

   gle 
  stomach. 
  An 
  equal 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  tumbleweed 
  seeds 
  have 
  been 
  

   eaten 
  by 
  one 
  bird, 
  but 
  of 
  most 
  kinds 
  100 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  meal, 
  and 
  this 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  foxtail 
  seeds 
  is 
  often 
  taken. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  however, 
  the 
  horned 
  

   larks 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  an 
  entire 
  meal 
  of 
  one 
  kind 
  of 
  food, 
  nor 
  do 
  they 
  

   show 
  a 
  decided 
  preference 
  for 
  particular 
  weed 
  seeds, 
  as 
  appears 
  from 
  

   the 
  very 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  kinds 
  eaten, 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  90 
  species 
  of 
  

   weed 
  and 
  grass 
  seeds 
  having 
  been 
  identified 
  in 
  their 
  food. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  common 
  Aveed 
  pests 
  before 
  mentioned, 
  many 
  other 
  

   weeds, 
  harmful 
  in 
  some 
  or 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  are 
  comprised 
  in 
  

   this 
  list. 
  Black 
  mustard 
  and 
  wild 
  radish, 
  common 
  pests 
  in 
  grain 
  

   fields, 
  are 
  eaten 
  whenever 
  found. 
  These 
  weeds 
  are 
  especially 
  injuri- 
  

   ous 
  in 
  California. 
  Some 
  others, 
  which 
  are 
  only 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  State, 
  are 
  eaten 
  freely 
  by 
  the 
  horned 
  larks. 
  The 
  little 
  plant 
  

   known 
  as 
  red 
  maids 
  (Calandrinia) 
  , 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  hard 
  to 
  extirpate, 
  

   produces 
  a 
  myriad 
  of 
  small 
  black 
  seeds, 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  favorite 
  food 
  of 
  

   the 
  larks 
  of 
  California. 
  Filaree 
  (Eroclium) 
  and 
  the 
  chickweeds 
  

   (Silene 
  and 
  Stellaria) 
  are 
  very 
  persistent 
  weeds 
  in 
  cultivated 
  ground, 
  

   and 
  again, 
  their 
  seeds 
  form 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  

   horned 
  lark. 
  Bur 
  clover 
  (Medicago 
  denticidata) 
  (fig. 
  D), 
  very 
  injuri- 
  

   ous 
  to 
  sheep-raising 
  interests, 
  and 
  the 
  Napa 
  thistle 
  (fig. 
  E), 
  or 
  tocalote 
  

   (Oentaurea)^ 
  a 
  most 
  formidable 
  weed 
  pest 
  in 
  both 
  fields 
  and 
  pastures, 
  

   are 
  eaten. 
  The 
  common 
  sunflower, 
  harmless 
  in 
  the 
  East, 
  but 
  most 
  

   troublesome 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  has 
  large, 
  nutritious 
  seeds, 
  

   which 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  larks. 
  Dandelion, 
  hoary 
  

   vervain, 
  and 
  dog 
  fennel 
  are 
  three 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  c 
  100 
  worst 
  

   weeds' 
  which 
  are 
  eaten. 
  The 
  seeds 
  of 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Solanum 
  

   also, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  troublesome 
  horse 
  nettle, 
  though 
  small, 
  are 
  

   not 
  overlooked. 
  Among 
  the 
  poisonous 
  plants 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  horned 
  larks 
  is 
  corn 
  cockle 
  (Agrostemma 
  

   githago) 
  (fig. 
  F). 
  The 
  seed 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  component 
  of 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  crop, 
  as 
  its 
  weight 
  and 
  size 
  make 
  its 
  separation 
  from 
  the 
  wheat 
  

   difficult. 
  Animals 
  are 
  sometimes 
  poisoned 
  from 
  eating 
  wheat 
  with 
  

   cockle 
  in 
  it, 
  and 
  fatal 
  cases 
  of 
  poisoning 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  of 
  men 
  who 
  

   had 
  eaten 
  flour 
  made 
  from 
  such 
  grain. 
  The 
  birds 
  apparently 
  are 
  not 
  

   affected 
  by 
  the 
  poisonous 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  seeds. 
  Corn 
  cockle 
  is 
  also 
  

   a 
  bad 
  crop-choking 
  weed, 
  and 
  in 
  eating 
  its 
  seeds 
  the 
  larks 
  confer 
  a 
  

   double 
  benefit. 
  Pokeweed, 
  another 
  poisonous 
  species, 
  sometimes 
  

  

  