HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



i«5 



birds, but it also kills field mice. It subsists chiefly 

 on Coleoptera, bumble bees, and other insects, which 

 are usually deftly impaled on convenient thorns. In 

 Mr. Pidsley's forthcoming "Birds of Devonshire," I 

 have recorded how on one occasion I observed a 

 whole family of this species glutting their appetites 

 on caterpillars (of a Vanessa) which were bolted 

 whole. 



VI r. The hawfinch is undoubtedly injurious to 

 green peas. On the other hand it consumes many 

 caterpillars. In 1887, Mr. Bartlett, the Curator of 

 the Maidstone Museum and a well-known naturalist, 

 dissected several hawfinches, killed in May and June. 

 All of these poor birds contained green caterpillars. 

 In one case, a female bird proved to have swallowed 

 no less than forty of these larvae. 



VIII. The bullfinch consumes the seeds of dock, 

 plantain, and other undesirable weeds. Its presence 

 is a benefit to us during all but the spring months, 

 when it should be scared from orchards. 



IX. Nuthatches certainly take nuts, and beechmast 

 also. But they subsist on insects all the summer. A 

 female in my possession used to take bluebottle flies 

 from my fingers with avidity. Woodpeckers are far 

 more than merely " innocuous." They are the 

 forester's best friends ; their wanton destruction is 

 one reason why many plantations are destroyed by 

 boring beetles. 



X. Wagtails and pipits are chiefly insectivorous, 

 but buntings are so in a very limited degree. I 

 admit that both the snow bunting and Lapland 

 bunting will eat insects in summer, and the common 

 bunting is partial to beetles. But the latter species 

 does some harm to ricks, when too numerous. 

 Yellow buntings are fond of blackberries. Cirl 

 buntings cannot thrive long without insects. 



XI. That the sparrow should be exterminated 

 ruthlessly everywhere I quite admit. I should like 

 to see a Sparrow Club in every parish in England, 

 and to hear that a vigorous crusade was sustained. 

 But it is fond of insects. It is very fond of house 

 flies, frequently kills the White Cabbage butterfly, 

 and I saw one ambitious bird make repeated swoops 

 at a fine swallowtail (Machaon). 



XII. The starling is most useful, but it interferes 

 sadly with woodpeckers, and should be kept within 

 reasonable limits. At present it is increasing so fast 

 that in a few years it must become sadly injurious I 

 fear. 



XIII. The rook has increased so disproportionately 

 of late as to become a great nuisance. I think a tax 

 should be placed on Rookeries. The quantity of 

 corn that this species destroys is out of all proportion 

 to the value of its services in killing grubs; its 

 numbers being in many districts legionary, it has 

 become as injurious to game preservers as the Carrion 

 Crow. 



xiv. The pied flycatcher feeds largely on cater- 

 pillars. Some young birds which I sent to the South 



Kensington Museum, contained small beetles and 

 tiny caterpillars. If space permitted, I could testify 

 to the value of the spotted flycatcher, which feeds 

 on the yellow underwings and other moths. 



XV. Chaffinches sometimes pull up young radishes. 

 They consume large quantities of insects. I once 

 saw an old female bring an enormous earthworm to 

 one of her nestlings. 



xvi. Of the Corvidoe, the raven is a bit of a 

 poacher, and injurious to the sheep farmer, but it is 

 a useful scavenger. The hooded and carrion crows 

 are sad rascals, but they swallow mice and other 

 vermin. The jay steals eggs, but it lives largely on 

 snails, and I have found its stomach crammed with 

 large beetles. 



XVII. Owls are certainly the farmer's friends, and 

 pole traps are largely to blame for the plague of rats, 

 which we hear so much of now-a-days. Kestrils 

 consume many mice. I have not space to speak of 

 the other Falconidse, but en passant the merlin 

 swallows earth woims, and the persecuted peregrine 

 sometimes lunches on such an unimportant trifle as a 

 skylark, as I pointed out recently in the " Field." 



xviii. xix. These require no comment, except that 

 Mr. Gurney has found that the nightjar sometimes 

 swallows vegetable substances (as does the cuckoo). 



XX. Crossbills do not live exclusively on the seeds 

 of Conifers, as Mr. C. Parkinson seems to suggest. 

 They feed on insects also. Both the late Dr. Saxby 

 and myself have recorded our observations ,of cross- 

 bills feeding on aphides ; other evidence of a similar 

 kind is forthcoming. 



xxi. Wood-pigeons are at once injurious and bene- 

 ficial. They require to be kept within moderate 

 limits, and then they do good. 



XXII. The corncrake subsists on slugs, and insects 

 of various kinds ; a useful bird. 



XXiii. The siskin "cannot do much damage." I 

 should like to know any damage done that can be 

 laid to the share of this charming finch ? It feeds, 

 like the goldfinch, on insects, as well as on grass and 

 other seeds. 



xxiv. Any one, who will take the pains to observe 

 a pair of whinchats, will find that they feed their 

 young on caterpillars almost exclusively. 



xxv. The wryneck consumes ants principally. The 

 wheatear fattens on the small beetles and other insects 

 that are to be found about loose stones. 



xxvi. The goldcrest will take small seeds, but 

 prefers insects. A caged bird of mine used to devour 

 the larvse of clothes moths with a relish. 



It is hardly necessary to comment further. I have 

 followed Mr. Parkinson's paper, as he suggests, 

 point for point, and though I have done so in the 

 most casual and chit-chat way, his remarks have been 

 so well selected, that it was hardly necessary for me 

 to do more than corroborate his evidence. 



I cannot agree with him that the rook should be 

 tolerated ; for I consider that the present increase of 



