440 Practical Game Preserving. 



potatoes have been found in the rook's crop, they deny 

 that they were consumed intentionally, but suggest that 

 they were eaten accidentally, along with the insects lurking 

 within these portions of tuber. Admitting the existence 

 of these minute enemies, as well as the destruction they 

 cause, it seems scarcely worth while to allow a flight of 

 perhaps two or three hundred enterprising rooks to un- 

 earth a whole field of potatoes, perhaps nearly ripe, for the 

 sake of ousting from their tuberous shelter, or consuming 

 a number, comparatively speaking very small, of insects 

 or grubs whose hurtfulness to the crops is very dubious ; 

 and as to the pieces of potatoes found in the rook's crop, 

 the same doubt is justified as to their presence being 

 exceptional, while everything points to its being the rule. 

 Rooks do eat potatoes, and for the reason, good enough 

 as far as it goes, that there are insects or grubs inside 

 them, but also for another reason, and far more cogent to 

 the birds, because they like them, if they be destitute of 

 grubs so much the better; and, like a good many other 

 animals, the more one allows them to eat the more they 

 will ; give them a yard, and they will clear an acre. We 

 remark the same arguments with regard to turnips when 

 rooks eat them ; we repeat our countercharge and adhere 

 to what we know to be facts sooner than pin our faith 

 to theories which are both unsound and unjustified. 



We now come to the consideration of the insects which 

 the rook destroys and captures for its food ; and as the 

 cockchafer larva is said to be the most destructive grub 

 which can inflict its unwelcome presence on grass land, 

 the credit of destroying these is always accorded to the 



