222 More Tales of the Birds 



"Then it will be all theirs, and no mistake," 

 said the Member. " Poet, I shall go back to 

 London and found a Society for the Protection 

 of Man from the Birds. The plain fact is 

 that you have too many birds here ; they 

 have increased, are increasing, and ought to be 

 diminished." 



" Such language from you you," cried the 

 Poet, half angry and half amused: "look at all 

 the work they have done for me this spring in 

 clearing off all manner of pests : think of all the 

 songs they have sung for me ! Are they to 

 have no reward ? " 



" But haven't you worked in your garden 

 too, and are you to have no reward ? " said the 

 perverse Member. " Why can't they go on 

 with their grubs and caterpillars, instead of de- 

 vouring your strawberries, which are in no way 

 necessary to their existence ? " 



" Are they necessary to ours ? " retorted the 

 Poet. This brought the argument to a stand- 

 still : it had got twisted up in a knot. The 

 Member wished to say that he had not been 

 asked into the country to restrict himself to the 



