2 The Food of Some British Wild Birds. 



In districts where the planting of fruit trees is encroaching 

 largely upon what was previously permanent pasture or arable 

 land, a large increase of many species of birds has taken place in 

 recent years. The open fields offered few nesting sites and only a 

 limited food supply. The establishment of orchards means a certain 

 amount of protection by man and the destruction of some, at all 

 events, of their natural enemies. Better facilities are afforded for 

 nesting and new and abundant supplies of food are present. As a 

 result many species have increased in numbers and become exceed- 

 ingly destructive. 



That many of our commoner birds have changed their food- 

 habits is testified by an annually increasing volume of evidence, 

 thus : 



Mr. O. V. Aplin (68) states : " I am inclined to think that the 

 enormous increase of the starling has caused the rook to alter its 

 food ; the starling eats up the animal or vegetable food the rook 

 formerly lived on in the spring, and the rook eats more corn and 

 fruit, and has taken to eating partridge and other birds' eggs to 

 make up for it." 



A correspondent, a careful observer and big fruit-grower, 

 writes: "Ten years ago I should have said that the blue tit was 

 deserving of all protection, for its food consisted almost entirely 

 of insects, recently, however, I have had cause to change my 

 opinion of this bird, for it now picks holes in apples, pears and 

 strawberries, and causes a considerable amount of damage. Whilst 

 I would not favour any systematic destruction, it should not be 

 protected, as at present it is too numerous." 



Writing in the Field of November 3rd, 1906, a correspondent 

 from Cornwall states : " I have never known it before, but this year 

 the blackbirds have been perfectly ravenous for tomatoes. I have 

 some growing against a wall out-of-doors, and the birds even 

 pecked through fish net to get the fruit; curiously enough no other 

 birds were seen to touch them. I watched a thrush foraging near 

 a partly-eaten tomato and it did not touch it." 



I have seen thrushes wilfully bite off the developing stems of 

 carnations and pinks during the spring of 1912. In my own garden 

 scores were bitten almost down to the ground. 



A complaint recently reached me from a strawberry grower 

 that he had noticed starlings pecking at the ripe fruit. So far as 

 he could make out there were no insects on the fruit, and examples 

 I examined bore distinct signs of the damage. 



Another correspondent records damage to wall-fruit and 

 garden peas by the blackcap. 



