﻿10 
  BIRDS 
  THAT 
  EAT 
  THE 
  COTTON" 
  BOLL 
  WEEVIL. 
  

  

  clear. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  made 
  by 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  E. 
  L. 
  Beal 
  shows 
  that 
  

   some 
  species, 
  notably 
  the 
  Brewer 
  blackbird 
  and 
  the 
  great-tailed 
  

   grackle, 
  msij 
  at 
  times 
  be 
  injurious 
  to 
  corn 
  and 
  other 
  grain. 
  However, 
  

   the 
  season 
  in 
  which 
  blackbirds 
  render 
  the 
  greatest 
  service 
  in 
  destroying 
  

   boll 
  weevils, 
  namely, 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  spring, 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  

   they 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  damage 
  growing 
  crops. 
  And, 
  furthermore, 
  a 
  very 
  

   large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  blackbirds 
  leave 
  Texas 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  

   months. 
  It 
  seems, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  in 
  protecting 
  them 
  in 
  winter, 
  when 
  

   they 
  visit 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  the 
  farmer 
  is 
  making 
  no 
  mistake. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  protective 
  bird 
  laws 
  the 
  whole 
  community 
  should 
  be 
  

   informed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  insectivorous 
  species, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  popular 
  sentiment 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  their 
  preservation. 
  With- 
  

   out 
  this 
  sentiment, 
  and 
  the 
  resulting 
  cooperation 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   people, 
  protective 
  laws 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  value. 
  

  

  STATUS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPECIES 
  OF 
  BIRDS 
  KNOWN 
  TO 
  EAT 
  THE 
  BOLL 
  

  

  WEEVIL. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summary 
  which 
  follows, 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  by 
  previous 
  

   investigations 
  are 
  combined 
  with 
  those 
  secured 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  season, 
  

   thus 
  bringing 
  together 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   relations 
  of 
  birds 
  to 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  The 
  tables 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  furnish 
  a 
  

   partial 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   investigations, 
  arranged 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  seasons, 
  and 
  show 
  at 
  a 
  

   glance 
  the 
  species 
  that 
  have 
  eaten 
  weevils, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  

   of 
  each 
  species 
  eating 
  weevils, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten. 
  

  

  ORIOLES. 
  

  

  (Icterus.) 
  

  

  Observations 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  1905 
  indicate 
  that 
  in 
  summer 
  the 
  birds 
  

   most 
  useful 
  in 
  destroying 
  boll 
  weevils 
  are 
  the 
  three 
  species 
  of 
  orioles 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  belt 
  of 
  Texas 
  — 
  the 
  orchard 
  oriole, 
  the 
  Balti- 
  

   more 
  oriole, 
  and 
  the 
  Bullock 
  oriole. 
  Of 
  these 
  the 
  orchard 
  oriole, 
  

   although 
  apparent^ 
  less 
  numerous 
  than 
  the 
  Bullock 
  oriole, 
  is 
  more 
  

   generally 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  cotton-growing 
  area, 
  and 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  one 
  

   which 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  successful 
  weevil 
  destroyer. 
  Of 
  the 
  84 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   this 
  bird 
  examined, 
  26, 
  or 
  about 
  31 
  percent, 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils; 
  

   the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  26 
  birds 
  was 
  47, 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  

   nearly 
  2 
  to 
  a 
  bird, 
  or 
  56 
  percent 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  examined. 
  

  

  The 
  Baltimore 
  oriole 
  occurs 
  as 
  a 
  summer 
  resident 
  in 
  Texas 
  only 
  in 
  

   the 
  extreme 
  northern 
  and 
  eastern 
  portions, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  migrations 
  

   it 
  is 
  common 
  throughout 
  the 
  State 
  as 
  far 
  west 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  Karnes 
  

   County. 
  The 
  27 
  stomachs 
  examined 
  were 
  taken 
  between 
  August 
  31 
  

   and 
  September 
  22; 
  six 
  of 
  them 
  contained 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  

   of 
  weevils 
  found 
  being 
  10, 
  which 
  is 
  37 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  

   examined. 
  

  

  