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and may aid in such damage. It was generally agreed that the worst damage resulted in the early plantings in April, probably because of the hordes of migrants passing through which turned to the rice because of scarcity of other food supplies. Injury to the rice at this time however seemed to be somewhat local as only a part of the rice growers questioned made complaint and in many cases these complaints were based, not upon personal experience but upon information gained from others.

The greatest complaints of damage by blackbirds stated that the birds were very destructive to rice grains when they were in the milk and from that time on until the heads were fully formed and ripened. This period extended from the first week in August on into September the exact date in each case depending upon the variety of rice and the date of planting. Blackbirds at this time have finished nesting and are gathering in flocks. This flocking continues on through the winter until time for the nesting season again. Fields of rice that happened to begin to mature early were more subject to sever attack as blackbirds congregated in them and continued to feed in them for considerable periods. Later when more extensive feeding grounds were available in the rice fields the damage was more distributed and therefore less noticed. Damage to the forming rice was almost certainly due to the resident Red-winged Blackbirds and Bronzed Grackles. The species first named was stated to be especially destructive. It was said that Blackbirds continued to feed on the rice until it was out. About November 1 great flocks of migrants augmented the number of resident birds and at this time hordes of Rusty Blackbirds and Cowbirds were added to the greatly increased flocks of Redwings and Grackles. These birds fed in great flocks in the rice stubble and where rice was still in