PERCHING RIRDS. 109 
and the farm.” Now to me it is simply marvellous, 
that with the actual evidence before their eyes of the 
value of the sparrow in destroying insects, they should 
make such an inquiry; as an old colonist, I feel 
ashamed of such an appeal ad misericordiam, because 
the sparrows had eaten a few of their grapes and 
cherries. Well, Mr. Wilson proceeded to make some 
inquiries, and amongst other information obtained this 
remarkable fact, that a gentleman had picked up below 
the nest of one pair of sparrows 1400 wing cases of the 
cockchafer ! Now this insect, especially in its prolonged 
larval condition, is one of the most destructive enemies 
of the agriculturist, and in consequence of the practice 
I have adverted to, has increased to such a frightful 
extent in France, that Mr. Wilson says the damage they 
have done to the crops has been estimated in some years 
as high as forty millions sterling! That thisis not an 
undue estimate will be seen from the following extract 
of a correspondent of Zhe Field, dating from Havre, 
May 6, 1868 :— 
“Gardening is here carried on under very great 
difficulties. Every Frenchman who has a chance is a 
‘chasseur indomptable, and consequently great is the 
destruction of every kind of small bird,:so that the 
insects enjoy a perfect jubilee. The air has been black 
with cockchafers during the last ten days. So great is 
the damage done by them that a penny per pound 
weight is paid for them, and numbers of men and boys 
are engaged hunting them. On Saturday, a cart drawn 
by two horses, threw its load of over 3000 kilogrammes 
of dead cockchafers into the sea.” 
Such is the result of the undue interference with 
nature’s laws, _No one asserts that the presence of 
