THE ARCHIPELAGO OF CHAUSEY. 15 



incessantly from one little hillock to another, whilst 

 the plaintive cry of the wheat-eater is heard at every 

 instant, as he flits from rock to rock. In crossing the 

 sands, which had been left dry by the last tide, 

 I encountered a considerable number of shore birds, 

 which had come thither in search of food. The sea- 

 pies (Hcamato-pus), and sand-pipers ( Tringa) picked 

 their way along every indentation of the shore ; the 

 god-wits {Limosa), and the curlews {Numeniiis\ with 



universally distributed species of birds. It is of European origin, 

 but it has accompanied many of our navigators, penetrating even as 

 far as New Holland. Every one is well acquainted with the 

 effrontery, voracity, and fecundity of these common birds, and con- 

 sequently it is easy to comprehend how much injury they must 

 commit. M. Rouyer de la Bergerie estimates the amount of corn 

 eaten by every sparrow annually to be about one bushel. From 

 this we may judge of the immense quantity of grain which is 

 annually lost through the depredations of these birds. It must, 

 however, be admitted that these voracious thieves render a real 

 service to agriculture. When first the young sparrow breaks 

 through the eg^, it requires to be fed with some substance more 

 tender and soft than the ordinary cereals, and on this account the 

 parent birds supply it with grubs. Bradley has calculated, from 

 repeated observations, that a couple of old sparrows will convey to 

 their nest no less than 40 grubs every hour, which would give 480 

 grubs for the twelve hours of the day, and 3360 for each week's 

 consumption. These numbers will explain a circumstance which 

 occurred thirty years ago. With a view of protecting the neigh- 

 bourhood of Vienna from the voracity of these birds, an order was 

 published that every cultivator of the ground should, in addition to 

 his other contributions, furnish the heads of two sparrows. This 

 regulation was faithfully obeyed, and the sparrows rapidly disap- 

 peared, bvit on the other hand, all the trees in the neighbourhood 

 were being devoured by caterpillars. It was therefore found 

 necessary to repeal the decree, and for a time at least to encourage 

 by every means the multiplication of the same birds which had 

 been so ruthlessly destroyed. 



