﻿NIGHTHAWK 
  AND 
  QUAIL. 
  13 
  

  

  migration, 
  fly 
  but 
  little. 
  Two 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  capture 
  the 
  

   weevils 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  one 
  species 
  in 
  winter. 
  

  

  The 
  least 
  flycatcher 
  does 
  not 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  

   small 
  numbers 
  during 
  the 
  migration 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  

   probably 
  also 
  in 
  spring. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  aerial 
  feeding 
  

   habits 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  by 
  this 
  bird 
  amounts 
  to 
  over 
  

   100 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  examined, 
  or 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  weevils 
  to 
  each 
  bird 
  eating 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  scissor-tailed 
  flycatcher, 
  although 
  an 
  abundant 
  species, 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  destroys 
  very 
  few 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  Only 
  4 
  of 
  the 
  64 
  birds 
  examined 
  

   had 
  eaten 
  weevils, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  being 
  6. 
  

  

  The 
  phoebe 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  flycatcher 
  which 
  passes 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  in 
  

   Texas. 
  Thirteen 
  stomachs 
  taken 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  December 
  have 
  

   been 
  examined, 
  three 
  of 
  which 
  contained 
  one 
  boll 
  weevil 
  each. 
  This 
  

   bird 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  in 
  Texas 
  during 
  summer. 
  

  

  NIGHTHAWK. 
  

  

  (CTiordeiles 
  virginianus 
  henry 
  i.) 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  stomachs 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  examined 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  

   definitely 
  settle 
  its 
  status 
  as 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil 
  destroyer, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  birds 
  examined 
  had 
  eaten 
  weevils, 
  one 
  having 
  taken 
  

   six 
  weevils 
  at 
  a 
  meal, 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  probably, 
  at 
  least 
  

   at 
  certain 
  seasons, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  pest. 
  

   This 
  evidence 
  should 
  serve 
  as 
  an 
  effective 
  argument 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  

   preservation 
  of 
  the 
  nighthawk. 
  

  

  These 
  birds, 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  'bull 
  bats/ 
  are 
  often 
  killed 
  for 
  

   food, 
  particularly 
  in 
  Louisiana, 
  Florida, 
  and 
  other 
  Southern 
  States, 
  

   and 
  they 
  frequently 
  serve 
  also 
  as 
  targets 
  for 
  sportsmen 
  who 
  wish 
  to 
  

   try 
  their 
  skill 
  as 
  wing 
  shots. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  their 
  importance 
  as 
  insect 
  

   destroyers, 
  nighthawks 
  should 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  be 
  rigidly 
  protected. 
  

  

  QUAIL, 
  OR 
  BOBWHITE. 
  

  

  (Colinus 
  virginianus 
  texanus.) 
  

  

  Much 
  has 
  been 
  written 
  concerning 
  the 
  quail 
  as 
  a 
  destroyer 
  of 
  boll 
  

   weevils, 
  and 
  many 
  persons 
  believe 
  that 
  it 
  consumes 
  them 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers. 
  Stomach 
  examinations, 
  however, 
  fail 
  to 
  substantiate 
  this 
  

   theory, 
  for 
  among 
  144 
  stomachs 
  examined 
  only 
  one 
  contained 
  a 
  boll 
  

   weevil. 
  The 
  bird 
  that 
  ate 
  this 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Seguin 
  in 
  November 
  

   by 
  Vernon 
  Bailey. 
  There 
  is 
  still 
  one 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  during 
  which 
  

   the 
  quail 
  has 
  been 
  imperfectly 
  studied, 
  namely, 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  

   January 
  to 
  June, 
  inclusive, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  investigation 
  during 
  

   those 
  months 
  may 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  different 
  showing 
  for 
  the 
  bird. 
  The 
  

   ground-feeding 
  habits 
  of 
  quail 
  make 
  it 
  practically 
  certain 
  that 
  few 
  if 
  

   any 
  boll 
  weevils 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  summer. 
  

  

  