THE SMOOTH-LEGGED BANTAM. 327 



gardener and the nurseryman. Mr. James Cuthill, of Camber- 

 well, complains, in the Gardeners' Chronicle, for December 1, 

 1849, of the plague of woodlice, from which he, and others 

 similarly engaged, had seriously suffered. " It matters not," 

 he says, " whether it is the blossom of a Cucumber, or that of 

 a Pine-apple that comes in their way, the fruit of a Melon or 

 that of a Cucumber. I have lost many an ounce of Straw- 

 berries through their depredations, and also, many an early 

 Cucumber that would have brought me 3s. Qd. in the market, 

 The means I have employed for their destruction have been 

 toads, which are effectual ; but they are expensive, being 4s. 

 a dozen. Many of them die, and except they are kept in 

 quantity, the woodlice cannot be kept down. My object now, 

 however, is to state that, from some trials I have made, I am 

 convinced that woodlice may be killed by the use of Bantam 

 Fowls. This plan may be put in operation by any one, even 

 at this time of the year. I first had a hundred woodlice caught 

 at a rubbish heap, and gave them to three Bantams ; they ate 

 them up in something less than two minutes. I had these 

 birds in attendance when turning over a rubbish heap, and not 

 a woodlouse was allowed to escape, nor any insect, the Ban- 

 tams devouring every thing. It will thus be seen that, if 

 Bantams were encouraged and brought up in gardens, they 

 would effect much good ; and I am of opinion that it will soon 

 be found as necessary to keep Bantams to kill vermin, as it is 

 to keep cats to keep down rats and mice. They will save 

 various garden crops from injuries to which they would be 

 otherwise exposed. They would scratch a little, to be sure, but 

 so do cats ; and if the smaller kinds of Bantams are kept (those 

 about the size of a Partridge) their scratching would do little 

 harm." We give this statement as being the experience of a 

 practical man. 



