Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-05-24

spotted sanupIper; also curworms.
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 ployer and
killdeer The latter bird feeds also |
on caterpillars of the genus Phlege-
thontius, which includes the tobacco
and tomato worms.
The principal farm crops have many
destructive beetle enemies also, and
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
root curculio by several species of
shorebirds
Bill bugs, which often do considerar
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 silt, 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
northern phalarope, woodoock. jack
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
coIapsis. Other shorebirds that eat
leaf-beetles are the Wilson phalarope
and dowitcher.
Crayfshes, 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 hlldeer.
Thus it is evident that shoreblrds
render important aid by devouring the
enemies of farm crops and in other
ways, and their services are appreci-
ated by those who have observed the
birds in the field. Thus, w. A. CLARK
of Corpus Christi, Tex, reports thar
INLAND blowers are industrious In fol-
lowing the pillow and IL eating the
grubs that destroy garden stun, corn,
and cotton crops. H. w. Ttnkham Oh
Fall River, Mass, says OF the spotted
sandpiper: "Three pairs nestled In q
Young orchard behind my house ana
adjacent to my garden. | did not see
them once go to the shore for food
(shore about 1900 feet away, but !
die see them many times make taltn-
fuI search of my garden for cutworms'
spotted squash bugs, and green Mes
Cutworms and cabbage worms Were
their especial prey. After the young
could f1y. they still kept at work In my
Garden and showed no inclination 10
% TO the shore until about August 10.
They and a flock of quails just over
the wall helped me wonderfully.
tn summarize: Shorebirds have
been hunted until only remnant OF
their once vast numbers is left. IheT
limited powers of reproduction, coupleo
with the natural vicissitudes OF the
breeding period, make their increase
slow. and peculiarly expose them 10
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 ana
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'
ton is small indeed.
The above-named species are not
the only ones that should be exempt
from persecution, for all the shore
birds of the United States are In grea1
need Of better protection. They should
be protected, first, to save them from
the danger of determination, and, Sec
ond. because of their economic I'M
portance. So great, indeed, is their
economic value, that their retention
on the game list and their destruction
by sportsmen is a serious loss to agrF
culture.