144 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



harmless frogs, eggs, or small birds, for he does not eat 

 young sparrows or greenfinches as a rule, but the more 

 harmless rails, waterhens, and often game eggs and birds ; 

 but we are coming to that. But he does consume wire- 

 worms, you will say. Yes, and on the marshes he does 

 good so ; but what is it when you come to a lot of turnips, 

 or young corn, or peas ? If he do not steal the grain in 

 the ground, which the clapper-boys calling, " Car-whoo ! 

 car-whoo ! " through the grey mists endeavour to prevent, 

 he will, in his zealous search for wire-worms, go into a turnip 

 or mangold field and pluck up the roots ruthlessly to see if 

 t/iere are any grubs or wire-worms at the roots, for they 

 don't eat the roots. A flock will soon spoil £\o or ^20 

 worth of roots so — ay, in an hour, if left undisturbed. Some- 

 times the whole crop is so spoiled, and the farmer has to 

 set the field again. Or again, watch them in a cornfield, 

 if you can elude the watchman who sits upon a tree-top 

 over the field signalling to the others below. 



Then you will see them pecking the ears of corn, which 

 they carry off to a w^all to eat in security. But you must be 

 sharp for the work, for the stealthiest gunners have great 

 difficulty in shooting them when at that game. An ex- 

 perienced hand told me he once crept down a furrow on 

 a marsh cornfield with his gun ; directly he got within a 

 hundred yards of his prey, an old cock flew over him and 

 began calling " caw-caw," and away they all flew cawing 

 triumphantly. The following morning, at daybreak, he 

 repeated the experiment, and though they were less 

 cautious, he only shot seven as they arose. In the young 

 corn they are more mischievous, and will soon spoil a 

 couple of acres of blades. The}' go over the new-lays and 

 pull up every weakly plant, and any plant turning yellow, 

 to seek for the worm at the roots. It may be for this 

 reason they pull up healthy roots growing amongst the 

 withered hoed roots, for they see the withered thinnings, 

 and may think the others have worms and that the dead 



