NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



forests all higher forms of life in the world would 

 perish. 



Buckland puts it very aptly : " But for the trees, 

 the insects would perish ; and but for the insects, 

 the birds would perish ; and but for the birds, the 

 trees would perish." 



Nature fortunately has provided an efficient army 

 to keep the enemies of the forest trees in check. 

 They breed too rapidly, and they are too clever 

 in hiding and otherwise escaping notice for birds 

 ever to absolutely exterminate them. But so long 

 as man does not unreasonably persecute the birds, 

 they will succeed in keeping the enemy in check 

 so that the damage inflicted may be easily made 

 good. Purely insectivorous birds will never increase 

 too largely in numbers except for a brief space, for an 

 excess of insect-eating birds means a scarcity of food, 

 and the less physically fit die off, and so Nature adjusts 

 the balance. 



What of the many fruit-eating birds in the forests ? 

 Do they cause damage ? By no means. They are 

 one of Nature's tree and shrub planters. Eating the 

 berries and fruit, they sow the seed far and wide. 

 At Port Elizabeth the sand dunes at one time threatened 

 to overwhelm the southern portion of the city. Port 

 Jackson wattles {Acacia cyclopea) were planted over the 

 dunes. What was formerly a vast shifting waste of 

 sea sand is now covered with a dense forest of these 

 trees. The wattled starling, commonly known as 

 the locust bird or klein springhaan vogel {Creatophora 

 carunculatus), is very fond of the red, fleshy appendage 



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