BRITISH BIRDS. 



49 



slate ; the small wing coverts have a brownish tinge, and 

 the greater have white tips, making a conspicuous line 

 across the middle of the wing. 



This beautiful bird, in spite of its handsome appearance, 

 charming song, and extreme tameness, is much persecuted 

 by gardeners, who 

 have completely ex- 

 terminated it in many 

 ]ilaces where it used 

 formerly to be abun- 

 dant ; and the reason 

 given for this mis- 

 taken policy is that it 

 destroj'S their fruit 

 trees by knocking oti' 

 and eating the buds. 



That it does so to a 

 certain extent is un- 

 deniable, but the 

 damage effected by it 

 has been greatly ex- 

 aggerated. 



To give an example : — The writer is acquainted with an 

 extensive orchard, containing apple, pear, and plum trees, 

 covering many acres of ground, from which the owner 

 in one season removed 3,000 cartloads of branches by 

 pruning. 



There were a few buds destroyed then ! The writer 

 picked up an average-sized bough that had been cut off, 

 and counted the buds on it ; they numbered 1,003. 



In each load there were between 200 and 300 branches, 

 but say 250 for an average, that is to sa}^ 250,000 buds to 

 the load, or a total of 752,250,000 (seven hundred and 

 fifty-two millions, two hundred and fifty thousand) buds, 



Fig. 18. — 77<' Uudjimh. 



