THE FARMER'S FEATHERED FRIENDS. 57 



Two of the wild plants that are the farmer's worst 

 foes, as weeds, are charlock by him called chadlock 

 and the wild-mustard plant. The pigeons search 

 out and feed on these and on other ill weeds ; but 

 "they cums to my fields," and that is enough. So 

 do the butterflies and other beautiful creatures, but 

 not to feed on the produce of his labour. The bill 

 of a pigeon is weak compared to that of other 

 woodland birds ; not at all fitted for digging or 

 pecking to any great extent. Their swallowing 

 power is very great, but most of their food is 

 picked up from the ground. Of course the true 

 reason so many are shot is because they are good 

 birds to eat. 



The turtle - dove is a bird of passage ; he is 

 common enough in some parts of Surrey. I have 

 seen from ten to thirty of them rise from the 

 standing oats, or from the long grass in the hay- 

 field, at one flight. One of my friends shot a 

 couple as they were rising from the oats, and 

 opened their crops. Not a single grain of oat did 

 he find in them. They were full of a little vetch 

 that grew abundantly at the roots of the oats, or, 

 to express it in true rustic agricultural phrase, " at 



