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tage to have the Blackbirds feed in the rice stubble as they cleaned out a large part of the waste rice that had falle[[strikethrough]]d[[/strikethrough]]^[[n]] during the harvest and also ate the red rice that grew along the levees and elsewhere. This did away with the growth of volunteer rice during the following year a matter of importance as volunteer rice is in nearly all cases inferior in quality and where it is abundant lowers the average grade of the rice produced so that it brings a much lower price. Red Rice is a serious pest as the grains are small and when abundant in the harvested output of rice they interfere markedly with the proper milling of the better varieties with which they are mixed. Other rice growers stated that the waste rice and red rice could be cleaned out by hogs pastured in the fields and the grain turned to advantage that otherwise would be wasted. It was generally admitted however that hogs were not entirely effective and most men conceded that the work of the blackbirds in winter was beneficial. This point should be borne in mind as it would seem that serious damage to rice is caused in large part by resident birds and that save in seasons when the rice is late migrants and wintering birds do little harm. These statements would need careful verification as they are based almost entirely upon information given by men not wholly familiar with differences between species of birds or with the migratory movements of individuals.

Specimens of Blackbirds that were collected during the work in Arkansas belonged to four species, viz., Bronzed Grackle ([[underlined]]Quiscalus q. aeneas[[/underlined]]), Cowbird ([[underlined]]Molothrus a. ater[[/underlined]]), Rusty Blackbird ([[underlined]]Euphagus carolinus[[/underlined]]), and Red-winged Blackbird ([[underlined]]Agelaius p. predatorius[[/underlined]]). The four specimens of the Red-winged Blackbird taken were all shot from one flock and belonged to the form that breeds in Arkansas. It should be noted however that two