Show MEADOW LARK EATS MANY FARM PEST PESTS 4 k 4 att meadow lark urk magria a td by the united states depart ment of agriculture fay is the mouth when the meadow k does aea somo some of its beat best weik in ing the farmer for that la to when cuts borms torms begin their career and 5 little atle bird devours then them the n by thou do it also eats many Later caterpillars pillars d in i the same month these theme crea es form over 24 per cent of its ole diet caterpillars which are und 1 feeders are otten often overlooked birds ada rda which habitually frequent es but they do not tot escape the adow iw lark ants wasps spiders d hinch bags are other harmful is eaten by thia this feathered friend humanity naulty a 1514 stomachs sebe lot the meadow k examined animal tood ay all infects casil cotts tUulo tut e 74 per t of the content contents and vegetable ve eatable t er 26 per cent cerit ae As would natu 1 y be supposed the insects were und d species P as beetles bugs grass pers rs and with a few s ind and gasps and spiders A num of f the were collected CID the ground was revered with ow bet even these contained a ge percentage tage of insects showing birds adb okill in ending proper cod der adverse circumstances circum f the he various insects eaten crick ond Q grasshoppers are the most im it condil 26 per cent of food iod of the year and 72 per cent the i food in august it I 1 ie 3 scarcely essary sary to mention the beneficial act of R number of these birds on eld 1 of grass in the height of the se season of the 1614 1514 bachs achs collected at all seasons of at year ar or more than half coned 1 remains of grasshoppers and was has filled with fragments of at 27 37 these ise insects this seems to show elusively that grasshoppers are berred red and are eaten whenever Y can be found especially nota id the great number taken la in aa an t the month when grasshoppers eh their maximum abundance sit t to grasshoppers beetles make the most important item of the dow w lark larks a food amounting to per cent I 1 about one half of at atch which predaceous ground beetles be etlea the erg i are of harmful species tytko individuals of different da of may beetles were wem found la in tomacha stomachs of meadow larks and to were ere probably many mere more which e past to this form everal several closely allied ones beig belcak g numerous white gruba grubs which aw are S the worst enemies to many abed crop crops notably noti bly grasses and ins and ind to a less extent and na garden vegetable vegetables in the I 1 they fit eit the root roots of plants and being large one in dual lal may nay destroy several plants be adult stage they feed upon the ge e of treel and other plants and his a way aa to the damage which b began la in the earlier form an A 6 enemies of husbandry are not r iM dAm troyed b by kaaa 1 1 Is et ciricus 1 u 26 to e encourage urage their natural na al u the weevils found in the as the tho most important economy ift re the cotton boll weevil wently recently introduced aifala weevil tab several hundred meadow were ere taken in the cotton grow region and tha the boll weevil wae was I 1 in 25 0 of the eastern 4 ow lark aad am in fit 16 of the western 1 es M of the former one stomach albed ined 27 of f 25 tom of western adadow md frakt italia aita kids field of utah IS 15 contained weavit evit alfalfa alta weevil we vegetable Tege table food of grain aled ed and other hard sped grain amounts to 11 per cent and and nd other seeds to fly rea even per 0 aln principally core corn ie Is eaten vaten ly la ilk winter and lits early spring and therefore ore of wt kernels inne tris lg 14 consumed la in summer tann when it Is I 1 most plentiful we of sprouting grain wa was dit clover seed wa was found la in six u stomachs and RUS brt little in amda 0 weeds weed barnyard grass and are tire eaten from november to april inclusive clu sive but during the rest of the tile yeal year are replaced by insects briefly elated stated more than halt of the meadow larks food consists con of harm ful insects ita its vegetable food Is composed either of at noxious weeds or waste grain and the remainder ie Is made up of useful beetles or neutral insects and spiders A strong point in the birdi favor Is to that although naturally an insect eater it Is able to subsist on vegetable food and con is to not forced to migrate in cold weather eather farther than is necessary to find grounds free from enow snow the eastern meadow lark Is a common and well known bird occurring from the atlantic coast to the great plains where it gives way to the closely related western estern species which extends thence westward to the pa it winters from our southern border as far north as the district of columbia southern illinois and occasionally casio nally iowa the western form winters farther north although it Is in a EL bird of the plain plains and finds ends its most congenial haunts in the prairies of the west it Is it at home wherever there is level or undulating land covered will with grass grata or weeds with plenty of water at had some common birds useful to the farmer Fanner 1 la to a new farmers bulletin no ot at the united states dopart department part ment meat of agriculture which do scribes this mid and other interesting and valuable birda |