THE CHAFFINCH 173 



ing crop, how many are destroyed in the seed by chaffinches ? The 

 flocks, making no distinction between males and females, that are 

 said to harm newly-sown seed and sprouting field crops . Cer- 

 tainly chaffinches eat corn badly covered, and seed or springing up 

 plants of cabbage and turnip, but surely the birds can be prevented 

 from taking either seed corn or sprouting plants by the simple pro- 

 cess of red leading before sowing, as we have practised for over half 

 a century and found effective against all the finch family. The 

 effects of the process or otherwise (Fig. 105) will be suggested. 



In fruit gardens and orchards we have not known the chaffinch 

 to do any harm, but much good by clearing trees of small cater- 

 pillars, aphides on apple, cherry, plum, damson, and other fruit 

 trees, chiefly in breeding time. It is said to be very fond of lady- 

 birds and their larvae, but we have noticed both left on aphid pastur- 

 age after the chaffinches have been at work, and not many aphides. 

 Further, it is stated to be a great disbudder of gooseberries, currants 

 and plums, which we have never seen, and further found in twos and 

 threes all over a fruit plantation after frost eating the buds, while 

 later on " squeezing " the blossoms of plums, cherries, gooseberries 

 and currants, to extract the honey in them. Where the honey 

 comes from but the honey tubes of aphides, it is difficult to deter- 

 mine, and for what reason the squeezing ; but surely the birds must 

 have been bullfinches, not chaffinches, in company with house- 

 sparrows taking the buds. It is also said to eat beechnuts and beech 

 seedlings, seeds of Scots pine and other conifers, truly, according to 

 report of Mr. W. E. Collinge and Mr. F. Smith, as given in a paper 

 read at the Fourth Ordinary Meeting of the Society of Arts on 

 Wednesday, December 12, 1906, not worthy of protection in re- 

 spect of farm crops and fruit plantations. 



In the garden we have never known the chaffinch interfere with 

 any crop other than those of the Cruciferae (cabbage tribe), and 

 Compositae (lettuce, salsify, etc.), and these are effectively safe- 

 guarded by coating the seed with red lead before sowing. The seed 

 is simply moistened with water in small quantities in a flower pot 

 as advised for peas and beans, brushing up with a soft painter's 

 sash brush so as to make the seed evenly damp all through, and then 

 sprinkle on the red lead and again brush up the seed so as to coat 

 it thoroughly with the red lead. Seed of all brassicas, radishes and 

 other Cruciferae, also lettuces, salsify and other Compositae, so treated 

 before sowing are never taken by the chaffinch or other finches. On 

 a large scale the seed, grain included, may be first thoroughly wetted 

 with gas-tar water, boiling J Ib. of gas-tar in 2 gallons of water for 

 half an hour, or until it will readily mix with water, and then dilut- 

 ing to 50 gallons, and while damp sprinkle on the red lead and move 

 about so as to coat the seed or grain. This is effective against 

 all newly-sown or sprouting seed-devouring pests, including the 

 famous rook and wood-pigeon, also pheasant and partridge, and 



