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especially during February and March and at this time they fed in large numbers in the newly turned soil. Many of these birds were poisoned by means of rice that had been steeped in a solution of strychnine.

No definite estimate of the actual damage done by blackbirds could be given as rice was taken over such an extended period. Blackbirds fed in the fields in such numbers however that the loss from this source must be considerable each season.

At the office of the Southern Rice Growers' Association in Eagle Lake I met Mr. B. McIlhenny, local manager for the association, who made similar statements to those detailed above. C. H. Banning, Mr. Sinclair, and Dr. Denton had had similar trouble. C. W. D. Terrell of Lissie, six miles east of Eagle Lake had not had much trouble with birds this season but had suffered serious damage during preceding years. This season he stated that he had poisoned the birds feeding in his fields during April and he attributed his freedom from damage to this fact. 

At Eagle Lake Mr. Winterman and Mr. McIlhenny showed me samples of rice in which were a small percentage of kernels that apparently had been pinched or injured by birds while the grain was still soft. This produced a malformation in the matured grain that rendered it worthless. In addition many rice grains showed a brown spot on the glume varying in size from a minute point barely visible to the naked eye to an area nearly a millimeter in diameter. These were believed ^[[by these gentlemen]] to be caused by minor bruising by birds' bills as they fed on adjacent kernels. In one average sample of 200 rice grains 68 or 34 per cent were thus affected. This spot is restricted wholly to the glume and in no way injures the grain beneath. Careful examination however showed that these spots were caused by a fungus growth and that birds had nothing to do with it. Subsequent examinations