OTHER ZOOLOGICAL WORK 193 



grubs of the cockchafer inhabit the ground in 

 which the sparrow cannot pick, and that the 

 mature insect flies about only at night, after the 

 sparrows, which are the earliest birds to retire, 

 have gone to roost." Then he shows the absurdity 

 of the statement that sparrows eat the eggs of 

 cockroaches in stables by stating that they are 

 insects " not usually infesting stables, and whose 

 eggs are not in a position available to the sparrow, 

 inasmuch as they are carried in a case by the 

 females." Lastly, referring to " the cant " that 

 talks about protecting " God's sparrows," while 

 it " condones and patronises the destruction of 

 God's rats," he writes: "It is maudlin senti- 

 mentality to say that one injurious animal clothed 

 with hair may be persecuted, but not another 

 clothed with feathers." 



It cannot truthfully be denied that Tegetmeier 

 was combative and enjoyed a " disputation " ; 

 but he was never in haste to form an opinion, 

 and always retained an open mind for the truth, 

 " receiving and weighing evidence for and against 

 with the calm impartiality of a judge on the 

 Bench," as one says who knew him. Before 

 he took up the case of the farmer against the 

 over-preservation of any bird, he examined facts 

 and allegations with scrupulous care. Thus, 

 when the wood-pigeon was arraigned, he made 

 examination of the crops of birds sent him by 

 friends and by foes of the species in question, 



o 



