Utility and Economy of Birds 



' ' Will some one recommend a reliable SPARROW 

 trap, and so become a public benefactor ? " 

 (Daily Mail, 7.iii.i8), and war against STAR- 

 LINGS and BULLFINCHES and the institution 

 of SPARROW CLUBS were again demanded. 

 These extravagant outbursts seem, however, 

 to have given way to saner counsels to the 

 effect that any relaxation of the law restrain- 

 ing the killing of insect-eating birds would in- 

 evitably result in diminished grain, vegetable, 

 and fruit crops, and the birds finally recom- 

 mended to be kept in check, but not entirely 

 exterminated, were SPARROWS and WOOD- 

 PIGEONS (Daily Mail, 4.iii.i8). A plague 

 of caterpillars was prophesied early in the 

 year, and the indiscriminate slaughter of 

 small birds and the taking of their eggs was 

 therefore deprecated, especially as the severe 

 winter of 1916-17 had almost destroyed the 

 smaller insect-eating birds by the continuous 

 frost and snow (Times, 2i.iii.i8). An ad- 

 mirable letter, entitled " Plea for Protection/' 

 signed by fourteen representative ornitholo- 

 gists, appeared in The Times of April 24th, 

 1918, pointing out that the great majority 



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