166 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



Extracts from a letter from Capt. William Miles Hazzard, of Annan- 

 dale, S. C., one of the largest ricegrowers in the State. 



"The Bobolinks make their appearance here during the latter part 

 of April. At that season their plumage is white and black, and they 

 sing merrily when at rest. Their flight is always at night. In the eve- 

 ning there are none. In the morning their appearance is heralded by 

 the popping of whips and firing of musketry by the bird-minders in 

 their efforts to keep the birds from pulling up the young rice. This 

 warfare is kept up incessantly until about the 25th of May, when they 

 suddenly disappear at night. Their next appearance is in a dark-yel- 

 low plumage, as the Ricebird. There is no song at this time, but in- 

 stead a chirp, which means ruin to any rice found in milk. My plan- 

 tation record will show that for the past ten years, except when pre- 

 vented by stormy south or south-west winds, the Ricebirds have come 

 punctually on the night of the 2ist of August, apparently coming from 

 seaward. All night their chirp can be heard passing over our sum- 

 mer homes on South Island, which island is situated six miles to the 

 east of our rice plantations, in full view r of the ocean. Curious to say, 

 we have never seen this flight during the day. During the nights of 

 August 21, 22, 23 and 24, millions of these birds make their appear- 

 ance and settle in the rice fields. From the 21st of August to the 25th 

 of September our every effort is to save the crop. Men, boys, and 

 women are posted with guns and ammunition to every four or five 

 acres, and shoot daily an average of about one quart of powder to the 

 gun. This firing commences at first dawn of day and is kept up until 

 sunset. After all this expense and trouble our loss of rice per acre 

 seldom falls under five bushels, and if from any cause there is a check 

 to the crop during the growth, which prevents the grain from being 

 hard, but in milky condition, the destruction of such fields is complete, 

 it not paying to cut and bring the rice out of the field. We have tried 

 every plan to keep these pests off our crops at less expense and man- 

 ual labor than we now incur, but have been unsuccessful. Our pres- 

 ent mode is expensive, imperfect, and thoroughly unsatisfactory, yet 

 it is the best we can do. I consider these birds as destructive to rice 

 as the catapillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Ricebirds 

 never fail to come. If the Government could devise some means to 

 aid us in keeping off these birds it would render us great assistance. 

 The loss by birds and the expense of minding them off in order to 

 make anything renders the cultivation of rice a dangerous speculation. 

 During the bird season we employ about one hundred bird-minders, 

 who shoot from three to five kegs of powder daily, of twenty-five 

 pounds each ; add to this shot and caps, and you will have some idea 

 what these birds costs one planter." 



