Teaveks. — The Bird as the Labourer of Man. 3 



birds, and particularly the sparrow, in mitigating such in- 

 juries in this country. This subject is not new to me. Many 

 years ago, whilst I was a member of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, similar charges were made against the sparrow, 

 and my reply was as follows : " War is to be waged against 

 the sparrows under the authority of Parliament. The follow- 

 ing utterances show the wisdom brought to bear in discussing 

 the question : The Hon. Mr. Chamberlain says that the hawk 

 is the natural enemy of the sparrow, a deduction, no doubt, 

 from the name ' sparrow-hawk,' applied to one species of 

 hawk in this country; but no New Zealand hawk that I 

 know of ever pursues a sparrow. Mr. Oliver tells us that it 

 was a mistake to introduce the sparrow, and so does Mr. 

 Gray. Mr. Miller says that none but the agriculturist was 

 fit to discuss the question, and drew a comparison between 

 the sparrow and the starling, which was about as appropriate 

 as if he had attempted to compare the sparrow w T ith the 

 elephant. Mr. Acland said the sparrow did not destroy in- 

 sects. Mr. Holmes read some extracts in support of his 

 opinions against the sparrow, and I could supply him with 

 any quantity more oi the same kind, emanating from equal 

 ignorance of the subject. It would be well if honourable 

 gentlemen, in dealing with this question, would take the 

 trouble to read the evidence given before a Committee of the 

 House of Lords on the subject of sparrow clubs in England, 

 and if they should still entertain any respect for the intelli- 

 gence of that august body, they would probably be disposed 

 to change the opinions above expressed. Not many years 

 ago the agriculturists of Hungary succeeded in getting the 

 sparrow proscribed by law, and he disappeared from the 

 land. Within five years from that time the Government 

 was compelled to spend 230,000 rix dollars in reintroducing 

 him from other countries. In the North Island and in the 

 northern parts of the South Island the cultivation of valuable 

 deciduous trees was practically impossible until the large 

 Cicada had been greatly reduced in numbers, and if Mr. 

 Acland had seen, as I and many others have, the sparrow 

 actively engaged in destroying these creatures and devouring 

 them he might probably change his opinion. The nestling 

 sparrow cannot eat hard food, and careful observation has 

 shown that a pair of parent sparrows will bring upwards 

 of three thousand insects to the nest in the course of a single 

 day to feed its brood." I notice that the same nonsense is 

 stiil uttered upon the subject, whilst not a tittle of evidence 

 is adduced in support of it. 



Now, in order that we may fully understand the assistance 

 which the bird can afford to man in the prosecution of the 

 incessant war in which he is undoubtedly engaged against 



