282 CONIFEROUS TREES 



ventives against the gnawing of horses ; but the 

 only effectual remedy we have found is to paint 

 the tree stems with liquid clay and asafcetida in 

 the proportion of a teaspoonful of the tincture to 

 half a bucketful of clay dissolved in water. 



Buds of the lilac and plane, as also flowers of 

 the pink hawthorn, suffer much from attacks of the 

 pigeon, and during the spring of 1916 the de- 

 predations in the case of the lilac and hawthorn 

 were so considerable in the Metropolis that special 

 preventive measures had in some cases to be 

 adopted. 



The crossbill feeds on the seeds of several 

 coniferous trees, principally those of the Scotch 

 Pine and Spruce, and when large flocks of the 

 bird appear the injury done is considerable. In 

 pine plantations in the north of Ireland the cross- 

 bill committed such an amount of damage some 

 years ago that reduction of their numbers had 

 to be resorted to by shooting. Comparatively 

 speaking, the crossbill is a rare bird and of local 

 distribution. 



The capercailzie, blackcock, and moorfowl or 

 ptarmigan are all inhabitants of secluded heathery 

 moors and pine plantations. They feed on the 

 buds and shoots of the Scotch Pine and other 

 coniferous and hard-wooded trees, and frequently 

 whilst these are in the nursery border. Both the 

 blackcock and the red grouse feed largely where 

 the heather and whortleberry abound, and when 

 food is scarce they devour the buds of coniferous 

 and other trees, and catkins of the birch, alder, 

 and hazel. 



The Hawfinch, — On account of its extremely 



