SOME BIRD LORE 57 



who will, especially during hot weather, make much 

 havoc with the fruit. 



And how many people look on this as otherwise 

 than sheer theft ? Yet there are two other points 

 of view, and the first is, that very often thirst will 

 drive the birds to the fruit, and if their needs were 

 more thought of, and water supplied regularly in 

 the garden, then the fruit crop might not suffer 

 so badly. 



Secondly, we should bear in mind that for ser- 

 vices rendered the birds are surely entitled to a 

 percentage of the fruit in each garden. 



Joseph Addison writes on this subject: "There 

 is another circumstance in which I am very par- 

 ticular, or, as my neighbours call me, very whim- 

 sical: as my garden invites into it all the birds of 

 the country, by offering them the conveniency of 

 springs and shades, solitude and shelter, I do not 

 suffer anyone to destroy their nests in the spring, 

 or drive them from their usual haunts in fruit time. 

 I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds 

 than cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for 

 their songs. By this means, I have always the music 

 of the season in its perfection, and am highly de- 

 lighted to see the jay or the thrush hopping about 

 my walks, and shooting before my eyes across 

 the several little glades and alleys that I pass 

 through." 



The kind acts performed by many individual 

 species of birds are manifold: for instance, in the 

 case of blackbirds and thrushes, they are inveterate 

 fruit-stealers, but at the same time their diet is 

 very largely made up of slugs and snails in great 

 quantities. The thrush especially, if left undis- 



