370 <-"-'K NATIVE BIRDS. 



birds' skulls." " How did he i)r(jcure the skulls," 1 (|ueried. " lie 

 went on excursions and killed the birds with a shot-gun," she 

 replied. " Other boys," she declared with pride, " collected bird>" 

 eggs, and had really lovely collections." " I supi^ose they. always 

 took the entire clutch of eggs every time," 1 asked. " Yes ! oh 

 yes! They were so eager, you know, and so jealous lest their 

 rivals should get more eggs than they." 1 left her jjresence 

 thinking it would l)e nnich to the advantage of South Africa'- 

 peojjle if she and those of her kind who deliberately encouraged 

 the wanton destruction of bird-life were chloroformed. 



In South Africa there are about 921 s])ecies and stib-species 

 of birds. Of this great host, not more than a dozen species can 

 be said to be harmful to man without sufficient redeeming (|uali- 

 ties from an economic point of view to justify their ])reservation. 

 There are some which, when judged from a broad standpoint, 

 are beneticial to man as a whole, but which are a pest to indi- 

 viduals such as fruit-growers and stock farmers. 



The Colies or .Muis X'ogels, and the Bulbuls. for instance, 

 are foes to the fruit farmers, and the larger birds of ])rev can 

 expect no merc\- from st(jck and poultry farmers. 



When any creature is destroved which acts as a check on 

 another, the inevita])le result is a multi]jlication of the latter. 

 The destruction of a pair of breeding starlings, for instance, 

 which involves the death of 4 to 6 nestling birds, means an 

 increase of a minimum of 30,000 caterpillars and grubs within 

 six w'eeks. These caterpillars soon reach the adult condition. 

 change into chrysalises, and emerge as moths, butterflies and 

 beetles, h^.ach of the females lays thousands of eggs, whicli bring- 

 forth a vast and destructive army of lar\te, and from the 30.OOO 

 cater])illars and grubs there will arise in a few short nu)nths an 

 uncountable bo>t. All because of the thoughtless or w-anton de- 

 struction of a i)air of breeding insectivorous birds. 



Many years ago the l''nglish I^ress ga\-e colour to the erro- 

 neous and stui)id belief that owls were birds of ill omen, and tliat 

 they were destroyers of chickens and useful Ijirds. The su])er- 

 stitiou.s and credulous farmer^, l)elieving these false statements, 

 mercilesslv persecuted the uwU, and the survivors retreated to 

 the wilds. The following season loud and bitter were the com- 

 plaints about the damage done to the crojjs and -\'oung jioultrA' 

 l)v rals and mice. The second .season proved still worse, and 

 nian\' a farmer was uttcrh- ruined. 



lames Huckland, whose life's work has been large!\- devoted 

 to'_sprea(ling knowledge in regard to the economic value of birch, 

 relates several instances of the serious consecjuences attendant on 

 the indiscriminate de-truction of wild liircU. which are brieflv 

 as follow >:— - 



In the Island of ilnurlxm tlie i)eo|)le. impelled b\ erronetni.-^ 

 beliefs and superstition, '^et a price on the .Martin's head. The 

 birds were nearly annihilated, and as a conse(|uence, gfassboi)per.- 

 overs))read the island, and the people w^ere frantic with fear lest 

 thev should perish. It \va>, indeed, fiM'tunate for those fi~>i-)lish 



