3—BIRDS AS FOOD 
Ow HE majority of edible birds, being both 
insectivorous and graminivorous, are 
both beneficial and harmful to agri- 
culture, and are thus rather difficult to dis- 
cuss from the utilitarian point of view. Per- 
sonally I am of the opinion that, setting aside 
their important value as human food, the 
edible birds of Great Britain are either harm- 
less, or do more good to the farmer than 
harm. I have, however, discussed the ques- 
tion of the utility of birds in the preceding 
chapter, and I do not propose to fight the 
battles here of the various species which have 
been the subjects of attack from time to 
time; I will simply record, more or less 
chronologically, the enactments which affected 
those birds which may be regarded as form- 
ing part of our regular food-supply. 
In Germany the question of the value of 
GAME as food was immediately realised, and 
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