﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  IN 
  1905. 
  19 
  

  

  is 
  significant 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  adult 
  orioles, 
  naturally 
  having 
  a 
  better 
  

   idea 
  of 
  where 
  to 
  hunt 
  for 
  weevils, 
  consumed 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  number 
  

   of 
  them 
  than 
  the 
  young 
  ones. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  four 
  species 
  of 
  sparrows 
  and 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  orioles 
  

   found 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  weevils, 
  there 
  were 
  also 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  flycatchers 
  

   which 
  captured 
  them 
  in 
  small 
  numbers. 
  The 
  scissor-tailed 
  flycatcher 
  

   (Muscivoraforficata), 
  though 
  quite 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  pastures 
  and 
  along 
  

   roadsides, 
  visited 
  the 
  cotton 
  plants 
  very 
  infrequently. 
  Eleven 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  were 
  collected, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  taken 
  two 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  and 
  

   this 
  one, 
  strangely 
  enough, 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  a 
  mesquite 
  pasture 
  at 
  some 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields. 
  The 
  least 
  flycatcher 
  (Empidonax 
  

   minimus), 
  which 
  was 
  present 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  as 
  a 
  migrant, 
  was 
  

   occasionally 
  seen 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalks, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  individuals 
  

   collected 
  two 
  had 
  taken 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  one 
  having 
  eaten 
  four, 
  the 
  other, 
  

   one. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  were 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  : 
  Mockingbird, 
  quail, 
  yel- 
  

   low 
  warbler, 
  great-tailed 
  grackle, 
  cardinal, 
  and 
  curve-billed 
  thrasher. 
  

  

  Runge, 
  August 
  23-September 
  5 
  ; 
  September 
  11-23. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  first 
  

   half 
  of 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  cotton 
  had 
  practically 
  ceased, 
  as 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  protracted 
  drought. 
  During 
  the 
  latter 
  half, 
  after 
  a 
  

   few 
  light 
  showers, 
  the 
  cotton 
  plants 
  began 
  to 
  put 
  forth 
  new 
  buds 
  and 
  

   leaves. 
  The 
  cotton 
  leaf 
  -worms 
  were 
  very 
  abundant 
  at 
  this 
  locality; 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  the 
  fields 
  had 
  been 
  attacked 
  by 
  them, 
  and 
  over 
  large 
  areas 
  

   the 
  plants 
  had 
  been 
  entirely 
  denuded 
  of 
  leaves 
  and 
  buds. 
  

  

  Weevils 
  were 
  quite 
  abundant, 
  but 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  cotton 
  

   worms 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  forced 
  to 
  concentrate 
  on 
  the 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  

   cotton 
  containing 
  leaves 
  and 
  buds. 
  In 
  such 
  places 
  they 
  averaged 
  

   about 
  2 
  weevils 
  to 
  a 
  hill, 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  spot 
  

   being 
  19 
  on 
  5 
  hills. 
  In 
  the 
  fields 
  where 
  cotton 
  worms 
  were 
  still 
  at 
  

   work 
  the 
  weevils 
  averaged 
  about 
  one 
  to 
  every 
  two 
  hills. 
  

  

  Birds 
  were 
  abundant 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  mes- 
  

   quite 
  thickets. 
  Cotton 
  worms 
  furnished 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  attractive 
  and 
  

   easily 
  obtained 
  food 
  supply 
  for 
  the 
  birds 
  than 
  weevils, 
  as 
  was 
  shown 
  

   both 
  by 
  field 
  observations 
  and 
  by 
  stomach 
  examinations. 
  Birds 
  

   were 
  much 
  more 
  numerous 
  in 
  fields 
  infested 
  with 
  the 
  cotton 
  worms 
  

   than 
  in 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  uninf 
  ested, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  certain 
  species 
  

   their 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  locality 
  was 
  largely 
  determined 
  

   by 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  these 
  insects. 
  This 
  was 
  notably 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  

   yellow-billed 
  cuckoos, 
  which 
  on 
  August 
  23 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  large 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  about 
  an 
  isolated 
  field 
  where 
  cotton 
  worms 
  were 
  abundant; 
  but 
  

   on 
  September 
  2, 
  after 
  this 
  brood 
  had 
  all 
  pupated, 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  cuckoo 
  

   could 
  be 
  found 
  there, 
  although 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  numerous 
  in 
  fields 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  away. 
  

  

  Cotton 
  worms 
  were 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  nearly 
  every 
  

   species 
  of 
  bird 
  collected 
  at 
  Runge, 
  and 
  they 
  formed 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  

  

  