24 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA 



CHAPTER IV. 



On the Necessity eor the Preservation of Our 

 Insect-destroying Birds, with an Alphabetical 

 List of the Principal Kinds. 



To all who are engaged in either farming or fruit-grow- 

 ing, the preservation of our useful friends, the insect- 

 destroying birds, is in my opinion of the very greatest 

 importance. 



Nature maintains a balance between the numbers of 

 the birds, beasts, insects, plants, &c., in any district. If 

 by artificial means we destroy this balance, immediately 

 intolerable numbers of some kinds remain with us, and 

 we have to expend much money and labour to rid our- 

 selves of the swarm which nature was ready to dispose 

 of for us gratis. 



Some writer has well said, as quoted by Mr. Tryon in 

 his valuable book on the fungus and insect pests of 

 Queensland — "If the arrangements of nature were left 

 undisturbed, the result would be a wholesome equilibrium 

 of destruction. The birds would kill so many insects 

 that the insects could not kill too many plants. One 

 class is a match for the other. A certain insect was found 

 to lay 2,000 eggs, but a single ' Tom-tit ' was found to 

 eat 200,000 eggs in a year. A swallow devours 543 insects 

 in a day, eggs and all." 



There is the whole case in a nutshell. The birds will 

 do yeoman service, and ask for no wages. 



The question will naturally be asked, How and by what 

 means is the wholesale destruction of our insectivorous 

 birds to be checked ? This would seem to be a somewhat 

 difficult question to answer, for have we not already game 

 laws, but are they carried out? I am afraid not, and 

 thus the good intentions of those by whom they were 

 introduced have been frustrated. 



