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One or two men made complaint of ducks feeding in the stubble after the rice had been cut, thus securing waste rice that otherwise would have served as food for hogs but such complaints seemed rather far fetched. One man stated that the waste grain composed of shattered rice that gathered at each stand of the separator in threshing was sufficient to furnish feed for 50 to 100 hogs during a period of ten days to two weeks. He claimed that large flocks of ducks frequently came in at night and cleaned up this entire amount in a short period. Such claims for damage however can barely be considered seriously.

At the time of my visit large numbers of Geese were feeding in the rice stubble in Matagorda County. Below Markham 500 geese belonging to 5 species or subspecies, viz., Canada, Hutchins, White-fronted, Blue and Snow Geese, were seen feeding in one field. One Snow Goose that was taken had eaten 61 grains of rice, while in the gizzard of a Canada Goose shot in an open pasture remains of grass made 99 per cent and rice huls composed the other 1 percent. No complaint was made against these birds.

DAMAGE BY BLACKBIRDS TO OTHER CROPS.

The Great-tailed Grackle was reported to be very destructive to sprouting corn in regions where corn was grown extensively. (With reference to destruction of corn by this bird see Siol. Survery Bull. 29, p. 8). There was almost universal complaint of the corn-eating habit of this bird in the farming region about Wharton and El Campo and it was mentioned elsewhere. 

Blackbirds of various species were said to destroy the seed heads of various varieties of Kaffir Corn that were grown for cattle feed.