. 4 - 
especially during February and March and at this time they fed in large 
numbers in the newly turned soil. Uany of these birds were i) 0 i 80 ned by 
means of rice that had been steeped in a solution of strychnine* 
Bo definite estimate of the actual damage done by blackbirds could 
be given as rice was taken over such an extended j>erlod. blackbirds fed 
in the fields In such numbers however that the loss from this source must 
be considerable each season. 
At the office of the Southern Moe Growers* association in Eagle 
I 
Lake I met Ur. B. Uollhenny* local manager for the association, who made 
similar statements to those detailed above. C. H. Banning. Ur* Sinclair, 
and Ur* Denton had had similar trouble* G* W* U* Terrell of Lissie. six 
miles east of Eagle Lake had not had much trouble with birds this season 
but had suffered serious damage during preceding yeers* This season ha 
stated that he had poisoned the birds feeding in his fields during April 
and ha attributed his freedom from damage to this fact* 
At Eagle Lake Ur* Wlnterman and «lr*U0Ilhenny showed me samples of 
rice in which were a small percentage of kernels that apikirently had seen 
pinched or injured oy birds while ins grain was still soft* This produced 
a malformation in the matured grain that rendered it worthless* In addl- 
tion many rice grains sitowed a brown spot on the glume varying in size from 
♦ 
a minute point barely visible to the na^ed eye to an area nearly a milll- 
meter in diameter* These were believed^ to^be caused by minor bruising by 
A 
birds* bills as they fed on adjacent kernels* In one average sample of 
BOO rioe grains 68 or 34 per cent were thus affected* This sxiot is re- 
stricted wholly to the glume and in no way injures the grain beneath* O&re- 
ful examination however showed that ^se spots were caused by a fttn^s 
growth and that birds had nothing to ao with It* Subsequent examination 
