The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-10-16
Protect the Birds of Mississippi

the Mississippi Audubon Society
would call attention to the valuable
allies Of this state in the fight 1t
has just begun against the dreaded
cotton boil weevil which has al
ready invaded our southwestern and
south central counties.
Thousands of dollars, many
hours of valuable time and large
amounts OF brain energy are ex-
pended in devising ways to combat
the weeyil, and in actually pre-
venting part Of its rayages. But
natures inexpensive way Of help
ing in the fight. by supplying an
abundance of active, hungry in
sectivorous birds, has been accepted,
if at all, with indifferences. or has
even been discouraged and proven
ted.
If we consult the findings of the
department of agriculture on the
question Of boil weevil destructive
by birds, we shall doubtless CON
clude that it is time to launch great
ampaigns all over Mississippi 10 en-
force the laws now on our statute
books for the protection of insec-
tivorous birds. Working with
will, in unison, and at small ex-
pense, the intelligent farmers and
other citizens of this state can
quickly create a sentiment in favor
OF bird protection that will have
more influence i'm checking the pro-
gress Of the boil weevil than the eX-
penditure of thousands of dollars
for poisoning, seeds selection, and
special methods Of cultivation
The rendering Of cotton resistant,
or entirely so, to boil weevils is
problematical at best. When a
bird eats boil weevil, there is an
end of it; and while we not claim
the possibility Of the determination
of weevils by birds, we consider it
arraut folly To underestimate the
good they can accomplish, good
which they perform without effort
or expense on our part beyond what
is necessary in spreading this cam
pagn of education and exposition.
Now is the time to organize the
fight, To get concerted action,
to appeal to the board of super
visors to appoint the wardens au-
thorized by law so that the provis-
ions against promiscuous bird kill
ing may be carried out.
In order that the people may be
put in possession of a clear notion
of what to do, we call attention to
provisions of our bird laws that
specify what kinds may be killed,
and we publish a list of birds
known to eat the boil weevil, copy
ing in the later connection from
the reports of the L. s. Department
OF Agriculture, THE Relation of
Birds to the Boil Weevil" and
Birds Useful in the War against
the Cotton Boil Weevil, both of
which may be had free on applica-
ton to the Secretary of Agriculture,
Hon. James Wilson, Washington,
d. c.
The Mississippi game laws allow
the killing Of very few varieties of
birds. The game birds specified by
law are wild geese, wild ducks,
quails, or marsh hens, scoots, (pOule
d'eau) and gallinules (mud hens)
grosbec, or nightheron, snipe, wood
cock, sandpipers, curlews, plovers,
tatlers, wild turkey cocks, quail,
doves, cedar birds and robbins. All
other kinds except the Cooper's and
sharp-shinned hawk tblue darters)
duck hawk, owl, blue jay, and Eng
lish sparrow, are protected at all
times
We cannot at present enter into
the reasons for protecting all these
other birds in Mississippi, but we
give here a list of those known to
eat the boil weevil, placing them in
order according to the mum Der of
boil weevils eaten per bird as shown
by stomach examinations: Cliff
swallow, bank swallow, ohve-sided
hy-catcher, barn swallow, night
hawk, least hycatcher, Americana
pipit, kingbird, yellow breasted chat
phoebe, painted bunting, Carolina
wren, kildeer, meadowlark, dickcis-
sci, purple martin, toWhee, shrike,
field sparrow, savanna sparrow,
cardinal, mockingbird, white
throated sparrow, yellow warbler
tofted titmouse, cow bird, red-wing-
ed black bird, brown thrasher,
bronzed grackIe, lark sparrow, bob
white
All these birds are found in Miss
issippi, and most of them are com
mon. The swallows are the great
est destroyers Of the weevil. Forty
seven weevils were found in the
stomach If a cliff swallow.
While Investigations made thus
far do not show the quail to be a
great eater of boil weevils, its other
services as a insect destroyer are
so important that we believe the
board of supervisors in every coun-
ty shorten the season and reduce
the bag limit on bob-white.
WILLIAM HEMINGWAY, Pres. /
ANDREW ALLISON, Secretary.
II Fl kOpNAN SDpciaI ACT