The Winslow mail., 1911-05-20

horse flies Adults and larvae of
these flies have been found in the
stomachs of the dowitcher, the pee
toral sandpiper, the hudsonian godwit
and the killdeer. Two species Of
shorebirds, the killdeer and upland
plover, still further befriend cattle by
devouring the North American fever
tick Among other fly larvae con-
sumed are those of the crane flies
Qeatherjackets)
Another group of insects of which
the shorebirds are very fond is grass.
hoppers. Severe local infestations Of
grasshoppers, frequently involving the
destruction of many acres of corn, cot
ton and other crops, are by no means
exceptional. Aughey found % species
of shorebirds feeding on Rocky Noun
tain locusts in Nebraska, some Of
them consuming large numbers. Even
under ordinary conditions grasshop-
pers are staple food Of many mem
bers of the shorebird family.
| Shorebirds are fond of other insect
pests of forage and grain crops, in
cluding the army worm, which Is
known to be eaten by the killdeer and
| spotted sandpiper; also cutworms,
among whose enemies are the avocet,
woodcock, pectoral and Baird sand
pipers, upland plover and killdeer.
Two caterpillar enemies Of cotton, the
cotton worm and the cotton cutworm,
are eaten by the upland plover and
killdeer The latter bird feeds also
on caterpiHars of the genus 'Phlege-
thontius, which includes the tobacco
and tomato worms.
The principal farm crops have many
destructive beetle enemies also, and
some of these are eagerly eaten by
shorebirds The boil weevil and clover
leaf weevil are eaten by the upland
plover and killdeer, the rice weevil by
the killdeer, the cowpea weevil by
the upland plover, and the clover
shorebirds.
Bill bugs, which often do considera-
BILE damage to corn, seem to be favor
ite food of some of the shorebirds.
They are eaten by the Wilson phala-
rope, avocet, black-necked stilt, pee
toral sandpiper, killdeer and upland
plover They are an important ele-
ment of the latter birds diet, and no
fewer than eight species of them have
been found in its food.
Wireworms and their adult forms,
click beetles, are devoured by the
L, oIar 1oR nj lX.
snipe, pectoral sandipper, killdeer and
upland plover. The last three feed
also on the southern corn leaf-beetle,
and the last two upon the grapevine
colapsis. Other shorebirds that eat
leaf-beetles are the Wilson phalarope
and dowitcher.
Crayfishes, which are pest in rice
and corn fields in the south and which
iniure levees, are favorite food of the
black-necked silt, and several other
shorebirds feed upon them, notably
the jacksnipe, robin snipe, spotted
sandpiper, upland plover and killdeer.
Thus it is evident that shorebirds
render important aid by devouring the
enemies of farm crops and in other
ways, and their services are apprec1-
ated by those who have observed the
birds in the field Thus, w. A. Clark
of Corpus Christi, Tex, reports that
upland ployers are industrious In fol-
lowing the plow and in eating the
grubs that destroy garden stuff, corn,
and cotton crops. H. w. Tinkham OF
Fall River, Mass, says of the spotted
sandpiper: Three pairs nested in
young orchard behind my house and
adjacent to my garden. | did not see
them once go to the shore for food
(shore about 1900 feet away, but
did see them many times make ta1tn-
ful search of my garden for cutWorms,
spotted squash bugs, and green Mes
Cutworms and cabbage worms were
their especial prey. After the young
could fly, they still kept at work in my
garden. and showed no inclination to
20 to the shore until about August 10.
They and a flock of Quails just over
the wall helped me wonderfully.
To summaries: Shorebirds have
been hunted until only a remnant OF
their once vast numbers is left. Their
limited powers of reproduction, coupled
with the natural vicissitudes OF the
breeding period, make their increase
slow, and peculiarly expose them to
danger of determination.
In the way of protection begin
| ming has been made, and continuous
close season until 1915 has been es-
tablished for the following birds:
The killdeer, in Massachusetts and
Louisiana; the upland plover in Mas
sachusetts and Vermont; and the pi-
ping plover, in Massachusetts. But,
considering the needs and value of
these birds, this modicum of protec-