Show MEADOW LARK EATS MANY FARM PESTS Z Z Z meadow lark magna prepared by tho united states department ot of agriculture may la s the month when the meadow lark does some of its best work in aiding the farmer for that la Is when the cutworms cut worms begin their career and this little bird devours them by thousands it also eats many caterpillars and in the same month these creatures form over 24 per cent of 0 its whole diet caterpillars which are ground feeders are often overlooked by birds which habitually frequent trees but they do not escape the meadow lark ants wasps spiders and chinch bugs are other harmful rests pests eaten by this feathered friend of humanity in 1614 1514 stomachs of the meadow lurk examined animal food practically all insects constituted 74 per cent of the contents and vegetable matter 26 per cent As would naturally be supposed the insects were ground species as beetles bugs grasshoppers and caterpillars with a few flies files and wasps and spiders A number of the stomachs were collected when the ground was covered with snow but even these contained a targe large percentage of insects showing the birds skill in finding under adverse circumstances of the various insects eaten crickets and grasshoppers are the most important por tant constituting 26 per cent of the food of the year and 72 per cent of the food in august it Is scarcely necessary to mention the beneficial effect of a number of these birds on a field of grass in the height of the grasshopper season of the 1514 stomachs collected at all seasons of the year or more than half contained remains of grasshoppers grasshopper ii and one was filled with fragments of 37 of these insects this seems to show conclusively that grasshoppers are preferred and are ara eaten whenever they can be found especially notable to la the great number taken in august the month when grasshoppers reach their maximum abundance next to grasshoppers beetles make up the most important item of the meadow larks food amounting to 25 per cent about one halt half of which are predaceous ground beetles the others are of harmful species forty two individuals of different kinds of may beetles were found in the stomachs of meadow larks and there were probably many more which were past recognition to this f form orm and several closely allied ones belong the numerous white grubs which are among the worst enemies to many cultivated crops notably grasses and grains and to a less extent strawberries and garden vegetables in the larval stage they eat the roots of these plants and being large one I 1 individual n may destroy several plants in the adult stage they feed upon the foliage of trees en end dother other plants and in this way add to the damage which they began in the earlier form As these enemies of husbandry are not easily destroyed destroy cd by ma maa it Is obviously wise to encourage their natural toes foes among the weevils found in the stomachs the most important economically are the cotton boll weevil and the recently introduced alfalfa weevil of utah vitali several hundred meadow larks were taken la in the cotton grow ing region and the boll weevil was found in 2 25 5 stomachs of the eastern meadow lark and in 15 of the western species er ecles of the former one sto stomach macli contained 27 individuals of 25 stomachs of western meadow larks taken in alfalfa fields of utah 15 contained the alfalfa weevil the vegetable food consists of grain and weed and other hard seeds grain in general amounts to 11 per cent and weed and other seeds to seven per cent grain principally corn Is eaten mostly in winter and early spring and consists therefore of waste kernels only a trine trifle is consumed in summer and autumn when it la Is most plentiful no trace of gral 1 was discovered clover seed was found in only six stomachs and but little in bach seeds of weeds principally rac weed barnyard grass aud and aro are eaten from november to april inclusive clu sive but during the rest of the year are replaced by insects briefly stated more than halt half of the meadow larks larka food consists of harmful insects its vegetable food Is composed either of noxious weeds or waste grain and the remainder la is made up ot of useful beetles or neutral insects and spiders A strong point in the birds favor Is that although naturally an insect eater it Is able to subsist on vegetable foo food dand and consequently la Is not forced to migrate irl in cold weather farther than Is necessary to find grounds free from 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 species which extends thence westward to tho the P pacific a it winters from our southern border as far north as the district ot of columbia southern illinois and occasionally casio nally iowa the western form winters somewhat farther north although it Is a bird of the plains and finds its most congenial haunts in the prairies of the west it Is at home wherever there Is level or undulating land covered with grass or weeds with plenty of water at hand some common birds useful to tho the farmer is a new farmers bulletin no of the united states department part ment of agriculture which describes this and other interesting and valuable birds |