3 BIRDS AS FOOD 



THE majority of edible birds, being both 

 insectivorous and graminivorous, are 

 both beneficial and harmful to agri- 

 culture, and are thus rather difficult to dis- 

 cuss from the utilitarian point of view. Per- 

 sonally I am of the opinion that, setting aside 

 their important value as human food, the 

 edible birds of Great Britain are either harm- 

 less, or do more good to the farmer than 

 harm. I have, however, discussed the ques- 

 tion of the utility of birds in the preceding 

 chapter, and I do not propose to fight the 

 battles here of the various species which have 

 been the subjects of attack from time to 

 time ; I will simply record, more or less 

 chronologically, the enactments which affected 

 those birds which may be regarded as form- 

 ing part of our regular food-supply. 



In Germany the question of the value of 

 GAME as food was immediately realised, and 



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