NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 93 



on soaking in water, I at once discerned to be black ants, in 

 number sufficient to fill an egg cup. Here, then, we find that 

 the police of nature ordains that the ants should eat decaying 

 vegetable matter, especially in fir woods, where their nests are 

 frequently robbed for the sake of feeding young pheasants with 

 the eggs. Mr. Jamrach imports large quantities of these eggs 

 from the forests in Germany. 



May we not also learn a practical lesson from studying the 

 habits of the woodpecker ? I frequently hear complaints that 

 the pine forests of this country and Scotland are seriously injured 

 by a beetle which bores into the sprouting tops of the pine-trees^ 

 and thereby does great mischief to woodland property. If the 

 proprietors of the forests are so foolishly ignorant as to allow the 

 woodpecker to be shot, it serves them right that their trees are 

 injured ; when in the pretty harmless woodpeckers they have 

 valuable servants who would, without being paid for their trouble, 

 find out these insect pests on the pine-trees, and very quickly 

 dig them out of their retreat by means of their sharp-pointed 

 bayonet-shaped bills. Woodpeckers are getting gradually more 

 and more scarce ; owners had better take the hint at once and 

 preserve them, otherwise woodpeckers will soon be nearly, if not 

 quite, exterminated. 



In November, 1875, I took from the stomach of a great spotted 

 woodpecker, shot at Halstead, in Essex, a mature caterpillar, some 

 two inches long, of the Leopard moth. This caterpillar is three 

 years feeding on the wood of the mountain ash and oak. Thxis 

 we see what an immense deal of good woodpeckers do in plan- 

 tations. 



TRANSPORT OF BIRDS ON BOARD SHIP, p. 108. The captains 

 of vessels have now found out means to bring over these soft- 

 billed birds. 



EXPORTATION OF ENGLISH BIRDS TO NEW ZEALAND. On Satur- 

 day Jan. 2, 1875, the ship Tintern Albey sailed from the East 

 India Docks with a most valuable consignment of British birds 

 for New Zealand. The Canterbury Acclimatisation Society had 

 sent Mr. Bills, jun., over to England to collect British birds to 

 be turned out in New Zealand. Mr. Bills, who has been well 

 trained in this matter by his father, who has been so successful 

 in transporting birds to the antipodes, kindly invited me to in- 

 spect his present lot previously to their being put on board ship. 

 I found them in a room which literally speaking was choke-full 

 of birds, and the clattering noise of the wings and feet on entering 

 the room was very remarkable. 



