282 



THE NATUEALIST. 



row Club gives, killed 1536 hard 

 billed birds, and 1464 sparrows, or 

 a total of 3,000 amongst six mem- 

 bers. Mr. Eawlings killed tbe 

 largest number, and took tlie first 

 prize ; Mr. T. Parliam the second." 

 A neighbouring parish makes an 

 annual return of 3,500 sparrows, 

 trapped, shot, and poisoned, at a 

 cost of fifteen pounds, or a little 

 above one penny each. Such is a 

 sparrow club. The wise churchwar- 

 dens of many rural parishes still offer 

 *' head money " for birds : sparrows, 

 finches, &c., are purchased at a half- 

 penny each ; blackbirds, thrushes, 

 &c., at a penny each. One old gen- 

 tleman, during his term of office 

 had expended a very handsome sum 

 upon this kind of game, much larger 

 than any one of the surrounding 

 parishes. There was a *' jolly row" 

 about it at the vestey meeting, for 

 the upshot of the matter was that 

 after paying for his birds he some- 

 what carelessly consigned them to 

 a neighbouring ash-pit — this was 

 soon found out by his juvenile 

 sportsmen, and the young rogues 

 very frequently sold the game three 

 times over before their " little game " 

 was found out. But it is time for 

 us to ask in all sober earnestness 

 what can be done to stop the senseless 

 and wanton destruction of our little 

 birds which is annually going on ? 

 Much has been written and said 

 upon the subject, but the occasion 



calls for more, and he who but col- 

 lects and reiterates what has been 

 well said before does the feathered 

 estate good service. Here is a pic- 

 ture from the south of England, 

 drawn some two or three years 

 back : — " When the potato famine 

 comes we speak of fortitude and 

 patience, and try to keep up one 

 another's cheerfulness and resigna- 

 tion ; but how will it be with us 

 when we have brought on ourselves 

 a worse dearth than the potato 

 failure by this folly of destroying 

 the creatures which preserve our 

 crops from insect plagues ? We 

 should remember this now, when 

 we are hearing every day of the 

 plague of insects on the one hand, 

 and of the destruction of small birds 

 on the other. What is the actual 

 state of things with us ? In the 

 early spring boys were birdnesting 

 all over the country. In a multi- 

 tude of townships there is a stand- 

 ing offer of rewards for birds' eggs ; 

 and thousands of dozens of eggs 

 have this spring been paid for within 

 an area of two or three parishes. 

 Where no such inducement exists 

 there has been the same plunder ; 

 and long rows of speckled eggs are 

 hung in cottage windows, and over 

 the fireplaces under the approving 

 eye of the farmer, if not of the curate 

 and the squire. As the season ad- 

 vanced, and the bloom of our fruit 

 trees afforded as fine a promise of 



