planting and a fairly successful harvest. The "beautiful Sea Gull Monument 

 on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, erected at a cost of more than $40,000 

 in grateful remembrance of the services of these birds in delivering the 

 early Utah pioneers from a cricket plague, is indeed a fitting tribute to 

 the California gull. 



In order to capitalize on the control ability of birds, many farmers in 

 the West drive chickens o.nd, more commonly, turkeys into their infested fields 



Undoubtedly, most of the successful attacks upon developing insect 

 hordes go unnoticed because birds and other insect predators wage unceasing 

 warfare to obtain sustenance, not for the purpose of assisting man. They 

 often feed indiscriminately upon both valuable and harmful insects, but 

 many species show definite preferences for certain destructive insects, as 

 indicated by the yellow-billed cuckoo's extensive feeding on tent caterpil- 

 lars and the palm warbler' s common avoidance of the valuable ladybird beetles 

 while feeding on destructive lepidopterous larvae. To show that control is 

 a continuous process some recent examples may he cited. 



Concerning the suppressive action of woodpeckers against Englemann 

 spruce beetles on the Kootenai National Forest, Idaho, Tom T. Terrel, of 

 the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, in a recent memorandumj made the following statement, which 

 has been confirmed by subsequent investigation: 



"In 1937 a severe infestation of the Englemann spruce beetle v/as re- 

 ported to be depleting stands of spruce in the Pinkham Creek drainage on 

 the Kootenai National Forest . . . During the time of the second examination 

 in June 1938, rather large groups of infested spruce were found with over- 

 wintering brood. Woodpecker activity, however, had destroyed the brood to 

 such an extent that the source of potential roinfestation was reduced to 

 protected brood below the snow lino and it was predicted that very little 

 roinfestation would occur." 



Commenting on this same infestation, James C. Evenden, also of the Bu- 

 reau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, in a letter dated January 24, 1940, 

 says : 



"In June 1938 it was estimated that there were from 1,200 to 1,500 in- 

 fested trees in this area. At the time of Mr. Terrel' s examination, there 

 was from four to six feet of snow within the area. Woodpeckers had remc 

 a large percentage of the bark from all trees above the snow line and it is 

 believed that perhaps 75 to 80 percent, or evon more, of the broods above 

 snow line had been destroyed. We have observed that woodpeckers concentrate 

 upon the most heavily infested trees, winch allow the greatest returns for 

 their labor, so on trees where all of the bark is not removed, wo usual" 

 find that there is a very poor brood and sometimes none at all." 



In the summer of 1935 insects were attacking crops of benne (a good 

 wildlife food) in the Thomasvillo, Ga., area, and Herbert L. Stoddard 

 the Biological Survey for information on the control of pests. Before i 



