[ 674 ] 



1,1.63. Against insect-pests generally, there are many 

 natural enemies^ such as dragon-flies, ichneumon-flies, 

 lady-birds, spiders, ants, bats, frogs, lizards, and certain 

 birds, such as, starlings, king-crows, domestic fowls, thrushes, 

 shrikes, drongos, rollers, wood-peckers, tit-mice, jays, lap- 

 wings, nut-hatches, bee-eaters and plovers. Crows are very 

 destructive to unripe grains of maize, though they eat grubs 

 also. Of all the birds mentioned, starlings (shdlik) are the 

 best friend of the farmer. As a rule, birds that are good to 

 eat (such as, pigeons, doves, bagaries and sparrows) or have 

 very fine and attractive plumage ,such as, linnets and parrots), 

 are destructive of grain. As these are constantly hunted 

 by man, they ,are naturally kept down. Sparrows, and 

 linnets (bdbui) perhaps do the greatest amount of damage. 

 The following recipe may be tried against small birds: A 

 quantity of wheat is to be crushed and mixed up with Plaster 

 of Paris, flour and sugar. This mixture should be kept out 

 near the fields of ripening paddy, &c., out of the reach of 

 domestic fowls. The birds partaking of this food die, but 

 not immediately, and so other birds not suspecting the cause 

 of their death go on eating the mixture. 



1.164. Lighting fires at night or hanging up lanterns 

 in plantations with troughs of water (to which a little kerosine 

 oil may be added) underneath, is a good means of attracting 

 and destroying insects. 



1.165. Umbelliferous spices (sulpa^ coriander, &c.) repel 

 insects and these may be grown here and there in the 

 midst of and around crops that are particularly subject to the 

 attack of insects, such as, cabbages, cauliflowers, bnnjals, 

 &c. 



1. 1 66. Ichneumon flies are largely attracted by flowers 

 of arahar and country sim (Dolichos lablab). These may 

 be grown round a plantation of sugar-cane, as ichneumon 

 flies are known to destroy sugar-cane borers. 



1.167. Sugar-cane, maize, and other crops may be 



