96 PROTECTION AGAINST ANIMALS. 



about acorns, and dropping them in the forest, while certain 

 mammals and many birds and insects are indirectly useful 

 by destroying injurious mice or insects. 



4. The injury done may also be direct or indirect; the 

 former consisting in damage or destruction to forest produce, 

 the latter in killing useful species. Most destructive kinds 

 of animals are either mammals or insects, while birds are 

 generally useful. 



5. The amount of damage done to the forest depends on 

 the species causing it, the local conditions, the season, etc. 

 It is generally in inverse proportion to the size of the animal; 

 the little bark-beetle, on account of its rapid increase and 

 steady working, doing more damage to a forest than the large 

 red-deer. The woodpecker is a good instance of the difficulties 

 of deciding as to the amount of harm or good done to a forest 

 by a particular species. This bird is useful in destroying 

 numerous insects living in wood, but it sometimes damages 

 healthy trees by boring holes into them, while these holes 

 may be useful if subsequently occupied by bats or starlings, 

 but injurious if occupied by stock-doves. 



Protective measures in the case of animals may be either 

 preventive or remedial, and will be dealt with under the following 

 heads : 



Mammals (Deer and wild pigs. 



I Rodents. 

 Birds. 

 Insects. 



As already stated, the present work can deal in detail only 

 with European animals, but it may be mentioned, that in 

 India, the Nilgai (Portax pictus) and the common antelope 

 (Antilope bezoartica) do much damage in coppices and plan- 

 tations adjoining agricultural land ; whilst among birds, the 

 pheasants and jungle-fowls do similar damage to that by grouse 

 in Europe. For a fuller account and especially of Indian forest 

 insects the reader is referred to "Indian Forest Zoology,"* 

 by E. C. Cotes, also " Injurious Insects in Indian Forests,"* 

 and other works by E. P. Stebbing. 



* Published by the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1893. 



