and may aid in suoh damage* It eas generally agreed that the worst dam- 
age resulted in the early plantings in April, probably beoause of the 
hordes of migrants passing through which turned to the rioe beoause of 
soaroity of other food supplies* Injury to the rioe at this time however 
seemed to be somewhat local as only a part of the rioe growers >4ue8tioned 
made oomplaint and in many oases these oomplaints were based* not u^>on 
personal experience but upon information gained from others* 
The greatest oomplaints of damage by blackbirds stated that the 
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birds were very destructive to rioe grains ! when were in the milk and 
from that time on until the heads were fully formed and ripened* This pe- 
riod extended from the first week in August on into September the exact 
date in eaoh oase depending upon the variety of rice and the date of plant- 
ing* Blackbirds at this time have finished nesting and are gathering in 
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flocks* This flocking continues on through the winter until time for the 
nesting season again* fields of rioe that happened to begin to mature 
early were more subject to severe attack as blackbirds congregated in them 
and continued to feed in them for considerable periods* Later when more 
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•xteuftive feeding grounds were available in the rioe fields the damage was 
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more distributed and therefore less noticed* Damage to the forming rioe 
was almost certainly due to the resident Bed— wiziged Blaokbirde und Bronzed 
Qraokles* The epeoies first named was stated to be espeoially destruotive* 
It was said that Blackbirds oontlnued to feed An the rioe until it was 
out* About Hovember 1 great flooks of migrante au^nented the numbers of 
resident birds and at this tl.ae hordes of Busty Blaoxhirds and Cowbirds 
were added to the greatly increased flooks of Bedwings and Oraoklee* These 
birds fed in great flooks in the rioe stubble and where rioe was still in 
