104 ON THE DESTRUCTION OF BIRDS. 
plague of caterpillars by the Sparrows and small birds which had 
been introduced from this country. What do the Sparrow Clubs 
say tothis? In one instance the annual meeting of a Sparrow 
Club recorded the destruction of 7000 small birds in one year in one 
locality, and it is calculated that these birds would have destroyed 
20 millions of grubs, caterpillars, and insects, during the breeding 
season. Mr. Wood remarks on the ignorance and inconceivable 
folly which dictates these bird murders; and he suggests that it 
would be quite as rational a proceeding to give prizes for smut in 
wheat, for diseased potatoes, the most fly-devoured turnips, or 
the most wireworm-blighted corn. 
Now, no one would be disposed to contend that the Sparrow 
does no harm; but that he is judged too much for the harm he 
does, and gets little credit for the immense services he renders, 
it requires but a small amount of observation to discern. 
Watch him feeding his young, and you will soon find out that 
caterpillars and insects are their staple food; and this process, 
mark you, goes on for hour after hour; each pair of birds working 
in its own beat, and ridding gardens and orchards of insect pests, 
in a way that it is useless for man to emulate. I cannot dwell 
longer on the daily walk of the Sparrow—lI have selected him 
because he is generally in bad odour, because he is too generally 
regarded as a very desperate character, and as the embodiment 
of all that is useless and destructive. Nowif it has been, or can : 
be, shown that he is really a most useful creature, and that his 
services to man are most important, then I can fairly ask for a 
merciful consideration of the claims of our other English birds to 
our protection, and a fairer estimate than is usually given of the 
great and wonderful part they are all acting in maintaining the 
balance of creation. True,—there is nothing of unmixed good ; 
each small bird does its share of good and harm, the former, I 
believe much counterbalancing the latter ; it does it quietly and — 
unostentatiously ; unfortunately, the bad only is usually noticed, 
and hence the persecutions small birds are subjected to; but re- 
flection on the purpose of these small creatures, aided by close 
observation of their daily habits, will soon dispel the prevailing 
impression that they do nought but harm. At Walton Hall; the — 
