])kummond. — On Introduced Birds. 245- 



berries saved ^\ith the greatest difficulty by picking twice daily ; 

 impossible to grow wheat, quarter-acre picked absolutely clean 

 last year ; oats pulled oiit when about 2 in. high, and have to 

 sow double quantities to allow for destruction ; whole treefuls 

 of the best sorts of plums destroyed ; the destruction, in short, 

 is so great as to seriously interfere with cropping arrangements, 

 to bar several valuable lines, and to render gardening, both 

 domestic and market, simply heartbreaking." 



At EUesmere (Canterbury) and Fendalton, one of the suburbs 

 of Christchurch, it is impossible to grow barley of good malting 

 sample, as the farmer cannot sow it at the right season, or the 

 birds will take the whole crop. 



Farmers in the Lincoln district. North Canterbury, gene- 

 rally agree to sow their wheat at about the same time, so tha't 

 the birds' attacks will be fairh' divided. " If one of us had an 

 early crop," a farmer of that district says, " all the birds would 

 concentrate their efforts upon it, and they would have it eaten 

 up very soon; but when we act- in concert the birds bestow 

 their attentions over the whole area, and one farmer does not 

 have to bear the whole of the brunt." 



The replies to the eighteenth question, in fact, leave no doubt 

 whatever that a vast majority of the classes of the community 

 most interested in the doings of the birds firmly believe that 

 their introduction was a disastrous mistake, that they do 

 imrae?.,surably more harm than good, and that their banish- 

 ment, if it was possible, would be exceedingly desirable. The 

 consensus of opinion is expressed in too clear, concise, and 

 emphatic a manner to leave any shadow of doubt as to the 

 strong antagonism felt towards English birds. Manv farmers, 

 however, modify their condemnation by expressing an opinion 

 that if the birds could be kept in check they would be converted 

 from enemies to friends. I cannot help thinking that that is 

 the proper attitude to adopt. The birds are far from bei)ig 

 altogether bad. A forgetful generation may have a short 

 memory, but great services given in the past cannot be ignored 

 when the birds are on their trial. 



Attempts have been made to estimate the damage done bv 

 the birds and to place a value on it. At a conference of local 

 bodies held in Christchurch to consider the best means of deal- 

 ing with the nuisance, the damage was set down at 5s. an acre 

 on cultivated land. If the average throughout the colony 

 was only half that sum the total loss must be enormous, as last 

 year the total area under crops in the colony was 1,494,722 acres, 

 661,926 acres being in grain-crops. Besides that total, there 

 were 17,176 acres in garden and 27,482 in orchard. 



