BIRDS AND THE GARDEN 



persecution, so that it may the more efficiently 

 succour him. 



In the Farmers Weekly, 22nd August 19 17, the 

 following paragraph appeared : — 



" A plague of mice is devastating the Dow Country 

 and destroying crops in every direction, reports the 

 New Agatha correspondent of the Zoutpansberg Review. 

 As one passes along at night they quelch under the 

 horses' feet. Traps are being set in every direction, 

 and in one field the writer saw over fifty traps set, 

 but it does not seem to help. Unless the plague 

 ceases quickly, every bit of grain will be eaten up. 

 It is said that few snakes have been seen this season, 

 but whether this fact has anything to do with it or 

 not is not known." 



In another issue of the same journal a farmer 

 wrote complaining bitterly of the hordes of rats and 

 mice which were causing extensive destruction to his 

 crops, young plantations, and orchards. Poisons and 

 traps had failed, and he was in despair. 



Here, again, we have cause and effect. The 

 owls, hawks, and snakes, which are the natural foes 

 of these destructive rodents, had been destroyed 

 in such numbers that the balance of Nature had 

 been upset, and man was called upon to pay the 

 penalty. 



A small piece of land was specially ploughed and 

 a few hours later a black crow, or African rook, was 

 shot on it. We opened the crop and counted thirty- 

 eight skins of root-devouring beetle larvae in it. Yet 

 this bird is counted by the agriculturist as a pest. 



7i 



