Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-11-06
THE BIRDS AS BOLL-WEEvIL DEsTROYERS.

allies of this state in the fight it
has just begun against the dreaded
cotton boil weevil, which has al
ready invaded our so ithwestern and
south central counties.
Thousands of dollars, many hours
Of valuable time, an large amounts
of brain energy are expended in de-
vising ways to combat the weevil,
and in securing partial exemption
from its ravages. But natures in
expensive way of helping in the
fight, by supplying an abundance
of active, hungry insectiviorous
birds, has been accepted, if at all.
with Indifference, or has even been
discouraged and prevented.
If we consult the findings of
the department of agriculture on
the question of boil weevil destruc-
tion by birds, we shall doubt
less conclude that it is time to
launch great campaign all over
Mississippi to enforce the laws
now on our statute books for the
protection of insectivorous birds.
Working with a will, in unison
and at small expense, the farmers
and ether citizens of this state can
quickly create a sentiment in favor
of bird protection that will have
more influence in checking the
progress of the boil weevil than
the expenditure of thousands of
dollars for poisoning seed selection
and special methods of cultivation.
The rendering of cotton resis-
tant to the boil weevils is prob
lematical at best. When a bird
eats boil weevil, there is an end
of it; and while we do not claim
the possibility of the extermina-
tion of weevils by birds, We con-
slider it arrant folly to underesti-
mate the good they can do, good
which they perform without effort
or expense on our part beyond
what is necessary in spreading this
campaign of ed uca ion an d
exposition
Now is the time to organize
the fight, to get concerted action,
to appeal to the boards of super
visors to appoint the wardens au-
thorized by law so that the pro-
visions against promiscouos bird
killing may be carried out.
In order tia the people may be
put in possession of a clear no.
ton of what to do, we call atten-
ton to the provisions of our bird
laws that specify what kinds may
be killed AMI we publish a list of
birds known to eat the boil Wee
vii, copying in the latter con-
nection from the reports of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
THE Relation of Birds to the Boil
Weevil" and Birds Useful in the
War Against the Cotton Boil
We 'vil,' both of which may be
had free on application 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,
rails, or marsh hens, coots (poule
d'eau) and gallinules mud hens,
grosbec, or night heron, snipe
woodcock, sandpipers, curlews
plovers, tatlers, wild turkey, quail
doves, cedarbirds, and robins. AL
other kinds except the Cooper's anC
sharp Skinned hawks blue darters,
duck hawk, owl, blue jay, and
English sparrow, are protected at
all times. We cannot at present
enter into the reasons for protec
ting 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 number of boil
weevils eaten per bird. as shown
by stomach examinations: Cliff
swallow, bank swallow, olive sided
flycatcher, barn swallow, night
hawk, least fiycatcher, alder fly
catcher, orchard oriole, Baltimore
oriole, crested flycatcher. Amer
lean pipit, kingbird, yellow-breas-
ted chat phoebe, painted bunting,
Carolina wren, kildee, meadow
lark, dickcissel, purple martin,
towhee, shrike, field sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow, cardinal, mock
ing bird, whitethroated sparrow,
yellow warbler, tufted titmouse,
cowbird, redwinged blackbird,
brown thrasher, bronzed grackle,
lark sparrow, bobwhite.
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 of a cliff swallow.
While investigations made thus
far do not show the quail to be a
greater eater of boil weevil, its
other services as an insect destroy
er are so important that we believe
that the board of supervisors in
every county should shorten the
season and reduce the bag limit on
Bob white.
MISS. AUDUBON SOCIETY.
WILLIAM HEMINGWAY, Pres.
ANDREW ALLISON, Secretary.
F. H. KORPMAN, Special Agent.