PERCHING BIRDS. 107 
land, and from increasing their numbers from fifty to 
five hundredfold !” 
But we will leave estimates and suppositions for facts. 
It is well known that in France, where game is not pre- 
served, a large class of “sportsmen” content themselves 
with shooting anything that comes in their way, and do 
not think it infra dig. to bag sparrows, linnets, and the 
like. The consequence is that small birds of all kinds 
have been so extensively destroyed that serious injury 
has resulted to the crops by the increase of insects, and 
numerous petitions have been presented to the Govern- 
ment praying that, on this ground alone, a law may be 
passed to prohibit the practice of destroying small birds. 
In one of the eastern departments the loss sustained in 
1861 by the ravages of wireworm alone was computed 
at 4,000,000fr. or 160,000/. ; and this enormous sacrifice 
of property was almost entirely caused by the ruthless 
destruction of small birds. 
The attacks upon sparrows and other small insectivo- 
-rous birds, however, still went on, with a consequent 
increase of insect pests; the agriculturists became 
alarmed at the result, and in June, 1864, presented four 
petitions to the French Senate praying for redress, and 
asserting that agriculture would “be seriously menaced 
if the destruction continued of their sole auxiliaries in 
arresting the propagation of insects, the scourge of all 
cultivation.” In accordance with their prayer, a com- 
mission was appointed, presided over by M. Bonjean, 
which proceeded to collect evidence. The result as 
regards our friend the sparrow was, “that he, and he 
alone, could carry on the war successfully against the 
cockchafers and the thousand winged insects infesting 
the low grounds,” and that in Hungary and in the Pays 
