282 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



various grubs, and those who preserve the same are doing 

 more good than harm to the farmer, as well as providing 

 themselves with sport. Game-birds may well be protected, 

 not only from the sportsman's point of view. 



There are many other birds which must be watched, but 

 which at present are of no special economic importance. 



Taking no account of sentiment, we may fairly say that there 

 are a few birds, such as the Sparrow, Bullfinch, Blackcap, 

 Sparrow Hawk, and some Finches, which must be found guilty, 

 and many, such as the Kestrel, Owls, Lapwing, Tits, most Gulls, 

 etc., which may be acquitted. Unfortunately very many more, 

 such as the Jackdaw, Rook, several Warblers, and Finches, upon 

 which must be pronounced the verdict of " non-proven," on 

 account of the very conflicting evidence. 



No satisfactory decision can be arrived at concerning these 

 until we have much more evidence to guide us. The only 

 way this is likely to be achieved is by the appointment of a 

 departmental committee, who could collect evidence from all 

 parts of the country and from all points of view, and further 

 systematic work on the food contents of birds' stomachs and 

 crops. 



One great thing might be done in advising the condensation 

 of the Wild Birds Protection Acts into one homogeneous whole 

 and the drafting of more definite information to county councils, 

 so that their scheduled lists might be more consistent with our 

 present knowledge than they are now. 



The economic value of birds must be considered from all 

 points of view in a very broad spirit, and before we can say 

 anything definite regarding the majority of them the subject 

 must be studied in the field on a much sounder basis than 

 has yet been done. 



References 



1. HOOPER, Cecil, Fruit Growing and Bird Protection, Journal of the Society 0) 



Arts, vol. lv. No. 2821, pp. 72-88, Dec. 14, 1906. 



2. Slater, Rev. Henry, Wild Birds and the Farm, Journal of the Farmers' 



Club, pp. 244-60, April 1905. 



3. Smith, Frederick, The Fruit Grower and the Birds, p. 10, Maidstone, 1906. 



4. Nunn, JOSEPH P., Sixteen Years with the Common Sparrow, p. 15, 1903. 



5. Archibald, Charles F., Wild Birds Useful and Injurious, Journal of the 



Royal Agricultural Society of England, 3rd Series, vol. iii. pp. 658-84 (1892) 

 and vol. iv. 



