﻿18 
  BIRDS 
  THAT 
  EAT 
  THE 
  COTTON 
  BOLL 
  WEEVIL. 
  

  

  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  month, 
  however, 
  their 
  numbers 
  became 
  much 
  

   reduced, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  20th 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  seen 
  in 
  a 
  day 
  was 
  not 
  

   over 
  15. 
  To 
  some 
  extent 
  they 
  fed 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  spent 
  much 
  

   time 
  climbing 
  among 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalks. 
  They 
  were 
  partial 
  also 
  to 
  weed 
  

   patches. 
  Thirteen 
  birds, 
  or 
  about 
  15 
  percent 
  of 
  those 
  examined, 
  had 
  

   eaten 
  weevils, 
  only 
  one 
  having 
  taken 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  weevil 
  at 
  a 
  

   meal. 
  

  

  Even 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  the 
  painted 
  bunting 
  was 
  the 
  lark 
  sparrow 
  

   (CJiondestes 
  grammacus 
  strigatus), 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  its 
  ground-feed- 
  

   ing 
  habits 
  preclude 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  its 
  destroying 
  the 
  boll 
  weevil 
  on 
  

   a 
  large 
  scale. 
  Lark 
  sparrows 
  fairly 
  swarmed 
  along 
  roadsides 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  open 
  portions 
  of 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  but 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  examined 
  

   contained 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  

  

  The 
  dickcissel 
  (Spiza 
  americana), 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  sparrows, 
  

   having 
  habits 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  lark 
  sparrov, 
  was 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers. 
  Its 
  record 
  as 
  a 
  

   weevil 
  consumer 
  was 
  somewhat 
  better 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  lark 
  sparrow, 
  

   for 
  of 
  the 
  19 
  birds 
  examined 
  2 
  had 
  eaten 
  1 
  weevil 
  apiece. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  commonest 
  birds 
  at 
  Beeville 
  was 
  the 
  handsome 
  pyrrhu- 
  

   loxia 
  (Pyrrhuloxia 
  sinuata 
  texana), 
  a 
  large, 
  thick-billed 
  sparrow 
  or 
  

   grosbeak, 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  cardinal. 
  The 
  favorite 
  haunts 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  

   are 
  the 
  mesquite 
  thickets, 
  but 
  they 
  not 
  infrequently 
  visit 
  the 
  cotton 
  

   fields. 
  Two 
  of 
  those 
  collected 
  had 
  each 
  eaten 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  which 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  

   boll 
  weevil 
  were 
  the 
  Bullock 
  oriole 
  (Icterus 
  hullocJci) 
  and 
  the 
  orchard 
  

   oriole 
  (Icterus 
  spurius), 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  neither 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  very 
  

   abundant. 
  The 
  orchard 
  oriole, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  localities 
  where 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  made, 
  habitually 
  fed 
  among 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalks. 
  Seven- 
  

   teen 
  individuals 
  were 
  collected, 
  and 
  of 
  these, 
  8 
  had 
  eaten 
  a 
  total 
  

   of 
  23 
  weevils. 
  The 
  largest 
  number 
  taken 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  bird 
  was 
  7, 
  and 
  

   another 
  had 
  taken 
  6. 
  The 
  Bullock 
  orioles, 
  though 
  more 
  numerous 
  

   than 
  their 
  smaller 
  cousins, 
  were 
  seen 
  less 
  frequently 
  in 
  the 
  cotton, 
  

   their 
  favorite 
  haunts 
  being 
  the 
  mesquite 
  thickets. 
  Twenty-seven 
  

   individuals 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  

   27 
  birds 
  12 
  had 
  eaten 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  80 
  weevils. 
  The 
  greatest 
  number 
  

   eaten 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  bird 
  was 
  41, 
  and 
  2 
  others 
  had 
  eaten 
  11 
  and 
  9, 
  

   respectively. 
  These 
  three 
  birds, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  adults, 
  were 
  taken, 
  

   together 
  with 
  five 
  young 
  birds, 
  about 
  9 
  a. 
  m. 
  on 
  August 
  16, 
  while 
  

   feeding 
  in 
  a 
  cotton 
  field. 
  Of 
  the 
  fi.ve 
  young, 
  one 
  had 
  eaten 
  two 
  

   weevils 
  and 
  another 
  three. 
  These 
  records 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  orioles 
  know 
  perfectly 
  well 
  where 
  the 
  weevils 
  hide 
  and 
  seek 
  them 
  

   as 
  a 
  chosen 
  article 
  of 
  food. 
  At 
  this 
  season 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  weevils 
  

   are 
  concealed 
  beneath 
  the 
  enfolding 
  bracts 
  of 
  the 
  buds, 
  or 
  'squares/ 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  improbable 
  that 
  a 
  bird 
  could 
  capture 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  41 
  during 
  

   a 
  single 
  morning 
  without 
  opening 
  the 
  bracts 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  them. 
  It 
  

  

  