OCR Text |
Show I The English Sparrow Destruc-cf Destruc-cf the Weevil. Washington, I). C, Aug. 15 The alfalfa weevil for several years past has been doing enormous damage to alfalfa crops in Utah. A recent investigation in-vestigation made by the U. S. depart-mentof depart-mentof agriculture reveals the fact that the English sparrow, individually, individual-ly, is one of the most eilicient enemies of the weevil. Therefore it is recommended recom-mended that the bounty placed upon this bird in this State be removed. "The English sparrow presents a problem in Utah somewhat different from that in many other parts of its range," states Department Bulletin No. 107, just issued, "and it must be placed very high in ths scale of weevil enemies. There is no bird in which the people of Utah are more intersted than this much-criticised fereigrier." As a' result of thf examination of a large iiumber of stomachs of English sparrows by biologists of the department depart-ment with a view of determining the relation of the bird to the alfalfa weevil, wee-vil, the sparrow is classed as one of the greatest bird enemies of the destructive de-structive pest. It was not only found that the adults eat the insects in large numbers, but that a large percentage of the food of the young consisted of the Weevil. A large number of other birds, it sage thrisher, long-tailed chickadee, western robin, and mountain bluebird. The removal of the bounty on the English sparrow is suggested, not so much because the bird requires added protection, as for the reason that the law, as in the case of most statutes of this kind, utterly fails to materially reduce the number of these birds, and at the same time it has been the ex-case ex-case for the destruction of many birds of beneficial species. A reduction in the number of sparrows, if desired, can be much more effctively accom- plished either by the efforts of individual indi-vidual farmers or by the employment of competent men to make a thorough and extensive campaign of trapping, poisoning, or nest destruction. AVhere chicken feed can be protected and where grain fields will not be jeopor-di?.ed, jeopor-di?.ed, the English sparrow may be allowed to continue unmolested its good work on the alfalfa weevil. Since this investigation was made the Brewer's blackbird has been given absolute protection in the state of Utah. The valley quail is deserving of added protection also, for a short period at least, that its efficient work in the suppression of the weevil may continue unimpaired. was discovered are also enemies of the weevil. They are the California gull, Wilson's phalarope, killdeer, valley quail, western1 mourning dove, red-shafted red-shafted fllicker, Arkansas kingbird, Sya's phoebe, Traill's fly catcher i desert des-ert horned lark, magpie, long-crested jay, Woodhouse's jay, bobolink, cow-bird, cow-bird, yellow-headed blackbird, thick-billed thick-billed redwing, western meadowlark, Bullock's oriole, Brewer's blackbird, house finch, pine siskin, western vesper ves-per sparrow, western Savannah sparrow, spar-row, western lark sparrow, white-crowned white-crowned sparrow, western chipping sparrow, Brewer's sparrow, desert song sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, spurred spur-red towhee, green-tailed towliee, black-hoaded grosbeak, lazuli bunting, cliff swallow, bank swallow, rough-winged rough-winged 'swallow, yellow warbler, long tailed chat, Macgillivray's "warbler, |