210 THE SHORT-EARED OWL 



curring famine, for the ruminants and rodents so increase as to eat 

 and foul themselves out of existence. This, of course, does not 

 occur in Britain, simply because the numbers are regulated and 

 the ground changed to ensure health and due proportion of subjects 

 to area. This is culture-game preservation and up-keep, with 

 no advantage to general agriculturists, though winged game 

 destroys many insect and other pests that feed upon vegetation. 

 The rodents not classed as game tell against ground game as 

 directly and against winged game as indirectly, as in the crops 

 of the forester, farmer and gardener, a like remark applying to 

 vegetarian birds, with a distinction the game-preserver has no 

 crop damageable by them, and fosters their increase by the re 

 strictions in respect of game preservation, and more especially 

 by the decimation of weasels, hawks (particularly the kestrel) and 

 owl (particularly the barn and short -eared) . 



But there is another side to this question, viz., what restrictive 

 measures does the forester, farmer and gardener take to protect 

 their crops from the ravages of wild vegetable-feeding animals 

 and birds, which in their several forms are as much vermin in 

 respect of forest, field and garden crops, as are carnivorous animals 

 and preying birds to game culture ? The most that can be ex- 

 pected of game preservers is discrimination in the destruction of 

 what is known to them as vermin. But it must be remembered 

 that exclusive reliance cannot be placed on natural checks, and 

 it is useless to decry the vigorous preservation of game as account- 

 able for plagues of mice and voles, for history refutes such dictum, 

 inasmuch as long before game preservation had interfered with 

 the natural enemies of the rodents, Great Britain was subject to 

 periodical swarms of mice and voles. The only precaution possible 

 is watchfulness, and combined action on the part of foresters, farmers 

 and gardeners, so that as soon as the first symptoms of undue 

 increase of vermin is detected, prompt steps be taken to avert the 

 recurrence of grievous damage. This, the destruction of vermin, 

 is imperative for the success of all cultures, no vigilance being 

 relaxed, no trust placed on empyrics, but adopt 



The good old plan, 



That he should take who has the power, 

 And he should keep who can. 



BLACKCAP WARBLER. " A family of blackcaps in a cherry 

 orchard commit great havoc," says Mr. F. Smith. " They do not 

 eat a quarter of the fruit they pick : they are also very fond of 

 raspberries and figs." In the garden the blackcaps take a heavy 

 toll of late sweet cherries, raspberries and currants for services 

 rendered in consuming aphides and small caterpillars, and are 

 difficult to exclude by netting. This, to be effective, must not 

 be larger in mesh than that known as pilchard, and there must 



