236 THE BALANCE OF NATURE 



with difficulty to be kept within bounds, coming 

 as they do in flocks on migration from the 

 north ; and the jackdaw of late years appears 

 to increase so rapidly that there, too, a stringent 

 check seems called for. 



Two others of the Corvidae, the magpie and 

 the jay, are each so beautiful an addition to 

 our woodlands that, in moderation, they surely 

 repay the little they cost. The rook question 

 is a much larger one. In some quarters their 

 increase seems to have passed all bounds of 

 moderation. They have also developed new 

 and unpleasant habits and appetites, hunting 

 and destroying nests and eggs like their near 

 relatives, the crows. On the other hand, their 

 good deeds must not be forgotten, and the 

 conclusion seems to be that the true balance 

 in numbers must be sought for. The sparrow 

 pest is another subject of much interest to 

 agricultural and gardening readers ; if the game- 

 keepers would spare a few of the sparrow- 

 hawks, and such lovely summer visitors as that 

 fine little falcon the hobby, it would help ; but 

 as things are at present, the only remedy seems 

 to lie in the way of co-operation and destruction. 



Much more might be written on the balance 

 of nature and man's constant interference, but 

 the above may, perhaps, serve to cause some 



