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  HORNED 
  LARKS 
  IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  5.— 
  Destructive 
  flea-beetle 
  (Phyllotreta 
  

   vittata). 
  (From 
  Riley, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Ento- 
  

   mology. 
  ) 
  

  

  and 
  their 
  larvae-, 
  the 
  white 
  grubs, 
  are 
  injurious. 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   May 
  8.75 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  taken. 
  The 
  leaf 
  beetles 
  or 
  chn^some- 
  

   lids 
  form 
  a 
  slightly 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  taken 
  than 
  the 
  scara- 
  

   baeids. 
  The 
  largest 
  percentage, 
  4.1, 
  of 
  these 
  eaten 
  in 
  any 
  month 
  is 
  in 
  

   August. 
  In 
  this 
  farnity 
  are 
  found 
  the 
  harmful 
  flea 
  beetles, 
  several 
  

   species 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  identified 
  from 
  stomachs 
  of 
  horned 
  larks. 
  

  

  Haltica 
  ignita, 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  is 
  

   likely 
  to 
  become 
  decidedly 
  injurious 
  

   to 
  strawberries 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  in 
  

   man} 
  T 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  Phyl- 
  

   lotreta 
  vittata 
  (fig. 
  5), 
  a 
  species 
  very 
  

   destructive 
  to 
  young 
  plants 
  of 
  cabbage 
  

   and 
  other 
  garden 
  vegetables, 
  are 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  the 
  larks. 
  The 
  pale 
  striped 
  flea 
  

  

  1VH 
  8F/ 
  beetle 
  {Systena 
  blanda) 
  (fig. 
  6), 
  in- 
  

  

  V^nt/ 
  jurious 
  to 
  melons, 
  sugar 
  beets, 
  etc., 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  their 
  stomachs. 
  

   Passing 
  to 
  another 
  family, 
  the 
  blister 
  

   beetles, 
  which 
  often 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  potato 
  vines, 
  are 
  also 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  the 
  horned 
  larks. 
  

   The 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  element 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  food, 
  however, 
  is 
  

   weevils. 
  These 
  dull 
  colored 
  little 
  beetles 
  are 
  eaten 
  in 
  every 
  month 
  

   in 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  comprise 
  4.5 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  

   horned 
  larks. 
  In 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  they 
  form 
  more 
  than 
  8 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  food, 
  and 
  in 
  August 
  18 
  percent. 
  One 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty- 
  

   nine 
  birds 
  ate 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  28.7 
  percent 
  of 
  their 
  food. 
  The 
  

   weevils, 
  as 
  above 
  stated, 
  are 
  

   dull 
  and 
  protectively 
  colored, 
  

   and 
  when 
  disturbed 
  feign 
  death 
  

   and 
  drop 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  where 
  

   their 
  resemblance 
  to 
  bits 
  of 
  

   twigs 
  or 
  seeds 
  enables 
  them 
  to 
  

   escape 
  detection. 
  This 
  device, 
  

   however, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  little 
  

   avail 
  when 
  the 
  sharp 
  eyes 
  of 
  

   the 
  horned 
  larks 
  are 
  concerned. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  these 
  little 
  beetles 
  are 
  

   injurious, 
  and 
  some 
  are 
  among 
  fig. 
  

   the 
  worst 
  of 
  pests. 
  The 
  im- 
  

   bricated-snout 
  beetle 
  (fig. 
  7), 
  which 
  injures 
  apple 
  and 
  cherry 
  trees 
  and 
  

   strawberry 
  plants, 
  is 
  often 
  eaten. 
  Eight 
  California 
  larks 
  devoured 
  

   more 
  than 
  45 
  yucca 
  weevils, 
  the 
  birds 
  having 
  an 
  average 
  amount 
  of 
  

   84 
  percent 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  in 
  their 
  stomachs. 
  Of 
  the 
  curculionids, 
  

   or 
  true 
  snout 
  beetles, 
  Sitones 
  injures 
  grass 
  roots 
  and 
  Phytonomus 
  

  

  

  Pale 
  striped 
  flea-beetle 
  (Systenablanda). 
  (From 
  

   Chittenden, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology.) 
  

  

  