Nov. iS, i^og.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
411 
also the larv^ of these beetles, as do the robin alid 
eral other birds. Though the genus Havpalus as a whole 
is useful, destruction of these two species is not amiss, 
for they injure ripetiing Strawberries by eating out the 
seeds. Through their depredations oh d driarter-aere patch 
a grower at Leesburg, Va., in three nights lost $35d 
of fruit. The nature of the injury by the beetle has so 
far made remedial measures impracticable; therefore, 
the Wcrk.of the bobwhite and other birds should be esti- 
wated at its full value. 
Leaf-eating beetles,' next iii iiilpotldhge after ground 
beetles in the diet of the bobwdiite, include maiiy Of the 
w^orst beetle pests, and members of the family not already 
actively injurious are potentially so. These beetles also 
are provided with protective secretions, more effectively 
repellalit in thg larger species, at least, than those of 
ground beetles, but luckily iheffggtual against bobwhite. 
He eats the most injurious of these insects, §uell as the 
potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) , the striped 
cucumber beetle (Diabrotica vittata), the tw’’elve-spotted 
cucumber beetle {Diabrotica 1 2-punctata) , and the squash 
ladybird {Epilachna borealis). The first named is per- 
haps Wore Correctly tetniCd the Colorado potato beetle. 
It wits a native of the Rocky Mbulitaiils ofigiiially, feed- 
ing oh the horse-nettle {Solauum rostratum) , a plant re- 
lated to the potato^ It began to migrate eastward a year 
or two before the Civil 'VVat, and fifteen or sixteen years 
later reached the Atlantic coast. Since thett. as every 
one knows, this beetle has threatened the potato crop Of 
the country. Birds, as a rule, avoid it because of its se- 
cretions. Therefore the bobwhite’s services in destroying 
it should be bighlv valued, the more so because the bird’s 
babit of eating thc gotatO bug is uot merely occasional 
nor limited to special localities. ReCord§_haVe eome to 
the Biological Survey from New Jersey, Virginia, Mafy- 
land, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Ontario; and 
it is believed that more extended observations will show 
that the habit is general w’berever the birds and the 
beetles inhabit the same district. During the last week 
bf Jufie at Marshall Hall,, a pair of birds was observed 
p&troliirg i'Otvs of badly infested potato vines and dili- 
gehtly picking off the beetles. Writing of the bird’s re- 
lation to .this, insect, C. E. Romaine, of Crockett, Tex., 
says : “Quail ItaVb built their nests around my fence 
and even in garden, within fifty feet ef my house. 
They have kept my potato patch entirely free ffoill the 
Colorado’ potato bug.” Three captive bobwhites dis- 
patched fifty potato beetles in five minutes, swallowing 
them whole, apparently with great zest. No food offered 
them was eaten with more avidity. Thomas Mcllwraith 
says a recent writer mentions that he examined the crop 
of one which was killed as it rose from a potato patch 
and found that it contained seventy-fivg pbtato bugs. 
Lawrer.ee Bruner reports loi of these beetles found In a 
s'ngle crop. Such wholesale destruction of these pests 
throughout a large territory is an invaluable aid to agri- 
culture. 
The two species of cucumber beetles {Diabrotica vittata 
afid 1 ). 12-pun'ctdta) are highly injurious to cucumbers, 
squasbeSj melons and corn, inuch sf tll@ harni being 
caused by their larvae, which feed on thfe roots of itlfe§t€d 
crops and are difficult to combat successfully with ill- 
scctic'des. The bobwhite eats them freely without ill 
effect, though examination seldom reveals them in the 
stomachs of other birds. Indeed, captive birds of all the 
other ‘pecies experimented with haVe refused them, prob- 
ably because of their offensive secretions. 
To some extent the bobwhite feeds also on certain leaf 
beetles, known, from their jumping powers, as flea beetles. 
Its favorites appear to be the three-lined potato beetle 
{Lcira trilineafa) , sometimes an ally of the potato beetle 
in the potato patch, CEdionychus dmibrlata, and several 
members of the genus Disonycha. The golden tortoise 
beetle {CoptOcyttln bicotol'), an insect that looks like a 
drop of molten gold and is an eneiny of the sweet potato, 
is also eaten. The locust leaf-mining beetle {Odomtota 
dorsalis) is another victim of the bird. Its larvae tunnel 
between the surfaces of locust leaves and kill the foliage. 
In 1895 the ravages of this pest turned the locust-fringed 
bluffs on the Potomac below Washington as brown as 
if touched by fire. 
The agriculturist finds weevils hard to cope with, on ac- 
count of their small size, protective coloration, and retir- 
ing mode of life. Birds, however, destroy them in large 
numbers, often a .score or two at a meal, and bobwhite 
does his share of the work. He often eats two common 
species that feed on clover leaves {Sifones hispidulus 
and Phytonomus punctatus) , and preys also on the two 
billbugs {Sphenophoriis parvulus and Sphenophorus scat), 
the latter injurious to corn. He relishes also that notori- 
ous garden pest, the imbricated snout beetle. His most 
imporlant weevil pre}'’ is the Mexican cottonboll weevil 
{Anthonomiis grandis). In 1894 this insect first crossed 
the Mexican border into Texas. During 1903 it caused a 
loss of $15,000,000. Though still chiefly confined to 
Texas, in time it will undoubtedly occupy the whole cot- 
ton belt and do a tremendous amount of harm. The bob- 
white is fond of this pest. F. M. Howard, of Beeville, 
Tex., in writing to the Bureau of Entomology, says that 
the crops of bobwhites shot at Beeville, Tex., were filled 
with these weevils. H. G, Wood, of Cuero, Tex., in a 
letter dated Sept. 21, 1901, relating to the weevil scourge, 
says : 
“Several of our business men and farmers are of the 
opinion that the quail can be made a vehicle for the de- 
struction of the cottonboll weevil. One farmer reports 
his cotton fields full of quail, and the entire absence of 
weevils. He found forty-seven weevils in the craw of 
one bird. * * l claim quail are the greatest insect 
destroyers of all birds. * * * We propose to prohibit 
the killing of quail in this county this season, hoping 
thereby to save a great portion of the cotton crop next 
seas.on.” 
The click beetles, the larvre of which are the wire- 
worms so inimical to corn and other plants of the grass 
family; scarabceid beetles, though in smaller numbers; 
dung beetles, when numerous, and May beetles, parents 
of the injurious white grub, are eaten by the bobwhite. 
The May beetle {Lachnosterna sp.) and its near relative, 
Ligynis gibbosus, were eagerly eaten by captive birds. 
The useful ladybirds {CoccineHidcB) are sometimes found 
in the bird’s crop, but, judging from experiments with 
caged birds, do not appear to be highly relished. Adalia 
hipunctata was several times offered and refused, but was 
finally eaten. The one harmful beetle of the family, the 
squash ladybird {Epilachna borealis), has been found 
in stoniadis and was relished by captive birds. Certain 
miscellaneous beetles belonging to different families are 
occasionally picked up, such as rove beetles, soldier 
beetles, darkling beetles, histerid beetles, and longicorn 
beetles. 
Bugs Ea*en, 
The bobwhite eat§ comparatively more bugs than 
most birds, including both Heteroptera, or true bugs, and 
Hornopiera, which form 2.77 per cent, of its food. The 
maximum number of bugs was taken in August and 
amounted to 21. i per cent, of the food for that month. 
The cliineh bug, which in this country has destroyed 
over $100,000,000 worth of wheat and other cereals in a 
season, is preyed upon by the bobwhite throughout the 
year. C. V. Riley says : “In the winter time, when hard 
pushed for food, this bird must devour immense numbers 
of the little pests, which winter in just such situations as 
are frequented by the quail; and this bird should be pro- 
tected from the gun of the sportsman in every State 
where the chinch bug is known to run riot.” The data 
possessed by the Biological Survey concerning this spe- 
eds are scanty, but they show that the quail destroys the 
pest in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Ne- 
braska. The number of chinch bugs eaten varies, but 
usually appears tO be large. Thus a bird shot Oct. 12, 
1901, at Badger, Neb., by \V. C. Colt, had picked up 100, 
and the American Field for Feb. 21, 1903, reports that 
an observer at Seymour, Ind., found a teaspoonful in a 
crop. In a letter to the Department of Agriculture, M. 
A. Page, of Garnett, Kan,, says of a bobwhite : “On 
opening the crop we found about two tablespoonfuls of 
cbinch bugs.” 
The bobwhite also destroys the false chinch bug 
{Nysiu^ angustatus) , which attacks grapes, strawberries, 
apples, potatoes,- turnips, radishes, beets and cabbages. 
It eats the tarnished plant bug {Lygus prafensis), injuri- 
ous to fruit and truck crops, and stink bugs of more than 
a dozen species, one {Euschistus variolarius) being a 
pest on many garden vegetables. The noninjurious spe- 
cie.8, particularly Thyanta custator, are often eaten, one 
bird containing thirty of them. More Homoptera (leaf 
hoppers and other fofmsj are eaten by bobwhite than by 
m.ost other birds. The little leaf hopper (Oncometopia 
lateralis) is especially relished. 
Grasshoppers and Allied It sects Eaten. 
Grasshoppers with a few crickets .make 3.71 per cent, 
cf the yearly food. In September they contribute 11.9 per 
cent. The walking stick, singularly like a twig and at 
times very numerous and injurious to foliage of shade 
and forest trees, has been found in the stomach of the 
bobwhite. Locusts and meadow grasshoppers, both high- 
ly destfuetive to vegetation, are favorite articles of diet. 
The bird grasshopper, so called from its size, is occa- 
sionally eaten. The destructive grasshoppers or locusts 
of the genus Melanoplus, such as M. atlanis, M. femur- 
riibruin, or the red-legged grasshopper, and the Rocky 
Mountain locust, form the bulk of the orthopterous food 
of the species. The Rocky Mountain locust is one of the 
worst of insect pests, and its appearance in large num- 
bers is a cal.aniity. It appears in swarms, clouding the 
sun and covering the earth, sweeping every green thing 
before it, and often driving the farmer from horne and 
threatening him with starvation. During a single season 
it has caused a loss of $100,000,000. 
In 1874-75 Samuel Aughey made a special study of a 
Nebraska invasion and found that the bobwhites were 
an active enemy of the locusts. Of twenty-one birds shot 
between May and October, inclusive, all but five had fed 
on locusts. The smallest number taken by any bird was 
twenty and the largest thirty-nine; in all, 539 — an aver- 
age of twenty-five apiece. C. V. Riley ascertained that 
the bird feeds also on the eggs of the locust, particularly 
in winter, when they are exposed by the freezing and 
thawing of the ground. If every covey destroyed as many 
locusts in a day as the one just referred to, it is hard 
to overestimate the usefulness of the bobwhite where 
abundant in infested regions. 
Caterpillars Eatea. 
The bobwhite seems to eat fewer caterpillars than 
would be expected from its terrestrial habits. The yearly 
proportion only formed 0.05 per cent., and the maximum 
quantity eaten in a month was four per cent, in May. 
This apparent neglect of caterpillars as food is perhaps 
due to their scarcity where the birds for the present study 
were shot. Pupae and adult moths occasionally serve as 
food. Whatever the list of species of caterpillars eaten 
by bobwhite lacks in length it makes up in importance, for 
so great a proportion of serious lepidopterous pests is 
seldom found in the fare of any bird. As is true of some 
other birds, the bobwhite includes the army worm in its 
bill of fare. This pest sometimes exists in legions and 
moves steadily forward from field to field, devouring 
corn, oats, forage and other crops. Fortunately it is not 
often active, and the years of its occurrence are fre- 
quently separated by long intervals. Every year, how- 
ever, the different species of cutworms do serious damage, 
d'hey cut down germinating grain,, often before the plants 
have fairly sprung above ground. Owing to their mode 
of feeding, a few worms may lop off many plants in a 
night. It seems strange that the bobwhites find as many 
of these nocturnal larvae as they do. The cotton worm, a 
pest so destructive that in one year it has caused a loss 
of $30,000,000 to the cotton fields, is preyed upon by the 
Irobwhite. Tobacco worms were sparingly eaten by bob- 
whites at Marshall Hall, but experiments indicated that 
they may eat them in greater numbers when opportunity 
offers. Five tobacco worms {Phlegethontius sexta), two- 
ihirds grown, placed in a cage with three captive bob- 
whites, July 8. '1903, were devoured in less than two 
minutes. Cabbage worms {Pontia rapee) and cutworms 
also w'ere offered and greedily eaten. 
[to be continued.] 
All communications for Forest and Stream must be 
directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New York, to 
receive attention. We have no other ofRce. 
THE MANY-USE OIL 
])reveiits rust on cold, wet or dry guns. Lubricates perfectly, 6oz. 
can. 
American Ornithologists^ Union. 
The twenty-third annual congress of the American, 
Ornithologists’ Union was held this week at the Ameri- 
can Museum of Natural History, in New York city. A* 
very large attendance of ornithologists was present, and 
many papers of great interest were read. _ 
The meeting of the fellows of the Union was held at 
the American Museum on the evening of Nov. 13, this 
being the chief business meeting of the session. There 
were present, among others, C. F. Bachelder, J. H. Sage, 
Dr. J. IT. Allen, William Brewster, Jonathan Dwight, 
Jr., IT. C. Oberholser, W. W. Cook, William Dutcher, 
I 3 r. Louis B. Bishop, Dr. A. K. Fisher, Dr. T. S. Palmer, 
F'. A. Lucas, F. M. Chapman, George Bird Grinnell, Dr. 
T. S. Roberts, Mr. Witmer Stone. 
The meeting was called to order shortly after 8 o’clock, 
and after the presentation of reports by the Secretary, 
the Treasurer and the Council, the election of officers 
took place. The choice was as follows : President, C. F. 
Bachelder ; Vice-Presidents, E. W. Nelson and F. M. 
Chapman ; Secretarr" J. H. Sage; Treasurer, Jonathan 
Dwight, Jr. ; Council, Ruthven Deane, W. Dutcher, A. 
K. Fisher, C. W. Richmond, T. S. Roberts, W. Stone, 
F. A. Lucas. It was determined that three fellows 
should be elected at the meeting; those chosen were 
Walter K. Fisher, of Palo Alto, Cal. ; Prof. Lynds Jones, 
of Oberlin, O., and Wilfred H. Osgood, of Washington, 
D. C. Five members were elected and a large number 
of associate members. 
An active discussion took place looking toward the 
revision of some of the canons_ of the A. O. U., and it 
was decided to appoint a committee to consider the sub- 
ject and advise about it, the members to be named later.- 
The Committee on Nomenclature was authorized to 
prepare for publication a revised check list of N. A. 
birds. 
Mr. William Duteber, chairman of the Bird Protection 
Committee' of the Union, reported that for a year past 
the committee had not been active, its work having been 
passed over to the National Association of Audubon 
Societies, which was carrying it on with much energy. _ 
The public sessions of the Union, held at the Ameri- 
can Museum, began ruesday, Nov. 14, at 10 o’clock 
A. M. The papers read were as follows, beginning on 
Tuesday morning, Nov. '14, at 10 o’clock: 
Some Unpublished Letters of Wilson and some Un^ 
■Studied Works of .\udubon. Witmer Stone, Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 
The Evolution of Species through Climatic Conditions., 
J. A. Allen, New York city. 
Summer Birds of ihe Mt. Marcy Region in the Adiron- 
dacks. Elon H. Eaton, Canandaigua, N. Y. 
Pelican Island Revisited. Illustrated by lantern slides., 
Frank M. Chapman, New York city. 
After a recess the session reconvened on Tuedsay 
afternoon at 2 o’clock. 
Some Breeding Warblers of Demarest, N. J. Illus- 
trated by lantern slides. B. S. Bowdish, Demarest, N. J. 
Notes on Wing Movements in Bird Flight. Illustrated 
by lantern slides'! William L. Finley, Portland, Oregon. 
The Status of Certain Species and Sub-species of 
North American Birds. J. Dwight, Jr., New York city. 
Wildfowl Nurseries of Northwest Canada. Illustrated 
by lantern slides. Flerbert K. Job, Kent, Conn. 
On Tuesday evening at 6 a dinner at the Hotel Endi- 
cott was attended by members and their friends, and 
after the dinner there was an informal reception -at the 
American Museum, at which a new projection apparatus 
was exhibited. 
Wednesday and Tliursday were devoted to the reading 
of papers, those of Thursday afternoon being read at 
the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and 
Sciences, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Wednesday morning, Nov. 15, 10 o’clock: 
Andrere Hesselius. a Pioneer Delaware Ornithologist 
C J. Pennock, Kennett Square, Pa. 
The Probability of Error in Bird Migration Records., 
Witmer Stone, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Some Observations on the Applicability of the Muta- 
tion Theory to Birds. Witmer Stone, Philadelphia, Pa.- 
The Song of the Hermit Thrush. Henry Oldys, Wash- 
ington, D. C. , , , 
Impressions of English Bird-Life. Illustrated by Ian-: 
tern slides. Frank M. Chapman, New York city. 
Wednesday afternoon, 2 o’clock: _ _ . * , 
Exhibition of Lantern Slides. William L. Baily, Ard- 
more, Pa. . , , 
A Lanland Longspur Tragedy. Illustrated by lantern 
slides. Thomas S. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minn. 
Similarity of the Birds of the Maine Woods and the 
Pocono Mountains, Pa. William L. Baily, Ardmore, Pa. 
Discontinuous Breeding Ranges. Illustrated by lantern 
slides. Wells W. Cooke, Washington, D. C. 
The Principles of the Disguising Coloration of Ani- 
mals. Illustrated with experiments and slides. Abbott H. 
Thayer, Dublin, N. H. 
The session of Thursday morning, Nov. 16, began at 
10 o’clock. , . . 
The Collection of Birds in the New York Zoological 
Park. C. W. Beebe, New York city. 
A Contribution to the Natural History of the English 
Cuckoo, with a Review of the Literature on the Subject.- 
Dr. Montaffue R. Leverson, New York city. 
Plumage's and Status, of the White-winged Gulls of 
the genus Earns. Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., New York city. 
A Contribution to the Ornithology of South Carolina, 
pertaining chiefly to the Coast Region. Arthur T., 
Wayne, Mount Pleasant, S. C. 
Should Bird Protection Laws and their Enforcement 
be in the hands of the National Government^ O. Wid- 
man, St. Louis, Mo. 
Thursday afternoon, 3 o’clock: _ _ _ ^ 
The Hoatzin and other South American Birds. With 
Exhibition of Specimens. George K. Cherrie, New York 
city. 
Among the Water Birds of Southern Oregon. Illus- 
trated by lantern slides. William L. Finley, Portland, 
Oreg. 
The Congress adjourned on Thursday afternoon, but 
on Friday morning, Nov. 17, a number of the members 
visited the New York Zoological Park, where there was 
much to interest them. 
