THE RUFF 209 



captured by fen-men and others at night by dragging a draw-net 

 over the swamps and " gripped " fields, the booty including not 

 a few larks and plovers. 



RUFF. This bird is useful by feeding upon worms, molluscs, 

 Crustacea and insects in fen districts. In former times advantage 

 was taken of the devotion of the males to the females by decoy- 

 ing them into nets or snares when " hilling," by previously setting 

 nooses or nets in their battleground, into which they danced 

 when fighting. 



PARTLY USEFUL AND PARTLY INJURIOUS 



HOBBY. Feeding chiefly on small birds, particularly the sky- 

 lark and other denizens of the field, living on herbage and on seeds 

 and grain, including mice, voles and beetles, this bird must be 

 regarded as more useful than injurious to the general welfare of 

 the nation, though it certainly preys on small game, both winged 

 and ground, and even pounces upon chickens. It is, however, 

 rare, and while game-rearing lasts is likely to be, in spite of 

 County Council regulations in respect of egg and bird-taking pre- 

 clusions, inasmuch as should-be informers are really the "breakers," 

 well knowing that their dastardly work has no surveillance, 

 and no hawk or owl suspected of interfering with game 

 preservation and poultry rearing is countenanced, and therefore 

 arboriculture, agriculture, and horticulture suffer in the degree of 

 the decimation. 



SHORT-EARED OWL. To agriculturists this bird is of great 

 service in keeping down field and grass voles, mice and young 

 rats, beetles and other insects. Its services, however, are mostly 

 confined to tracts that are relatively left to take care of themselves, 

 such as heaths, moors, bracken-places, furzy downs, hill pas- 

 tures, and marshy meadows in the north of England and in Scot- 

 land, though not infrequently found in tracts of highly cultivated 

 land, from John o' Groats to Land's End. there, of course, being 

 some intermingling of wild with cultured stretches of country. 

 This means the broad distinction between Nature and Culture. 

 In the former the creation takes its course with little interference 

 by man, but certain creatures increase to the advantage of the 

 sportsman, and this by keeping down vermin-carnivorous beasts 

 and birds of prey. These live upon herbivorous or vegetation- 

 feeding animals and birds, which increase proportionately with the 

 decrease of the carnivora or balancing forces of nature, and there 

 follows a plethora of deer, hares and rabbits, grouse, partridge 

 and other winged game, with a vast increase of vegetable-feeding, 

 fruit and grain devouring birds. This is really success for the 

 sportsmen, and in measure profit to the nation, by the destruc- 

 tion of vermin. But even this cannot be pursued without in- 



B,N, p 



