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sorghum fields until Christmas, v/hen ail grain was harvested. 
He accounts for this by the fact that last year there v/as 
hardly any grass to furnish the birds with seed. But on the 
other hand, H. G* Huntiiiuger, who has a farm in the foothills 
of the Dos Cabezas, tells me that about August 10, 1916, an 
immense floclc of Galaiiaospiza descended upon 11 acres of 
tian wheat*’ and in 3 days co]nj^)letely cleaned the field and 
passed on. Undoubtedly the main body of birds passes south- 
v^iiTd in the early fall. 
The "ranches*’ about Buv/ie are principally homesteads and 
desert claims, few and far between, and the acreaf-e under cul- 
tivation averages less than 40 each. Two aajoining places 
were selected for observation which contained 240 and 160 
acres respectively, one with 60 acres under cultivation and 
the other with 50 (more than usual in this vicinity} and each 
had about 25 acres in feterita. It is believed that when 
the valley is settled up the damage by birds will be exitirely 
negligable, but of course the pioneers must protect themselves. 
I have not seen the buntings at their v;urst, but ob- 
servations lead me to coiicirade that shooting, io connection 
with the use of scarecrows, is the proper 2:>roteotive measure 
to employ in the case of the suiall fie las at present devoted 
to grain. Of course this would involve more labor and ex- 
pense than poisoning, but I believe tlxat the destruction of 
vast numbers of the birds is not desirable. Poisoning v/ould 
also result in the death of nuiabers of house finches, vesper 
and Brewer’s sparrows, and perhaps other harmless species; 
while posioning aione would not entirely prevent the damage 
