PERCHING BIRDS. 109 



and the farm/' Now to me it is simply marvellous, 

 that with the actual evidence before their eyes of the 

 value of the sparrow in destroying insects, they should 

 make such an inquiry ; as an old colonist, I feel 

 ashamed of such an appeal ad misericordiam, because 

 the sparrows had eaten a few of their grapes and 

 cherries. Well, Mr. Wilson proceeded to make some 

 inquiries, and amongst other information obtained this 

 remarkable fact, that a gentleman had picked up below 

 the nest of one pair of sparrows 1400 wing cases of the 

 cockchafer ! Now this insect, especially in its prolonged 

 larval condition, is one of the most destructive enemies 

 of the agriculturist, and in consequence of the practice 

 I have adverted to, has increased to such a frightful 

 extent in France, that Mr. Wilson says the damage they 

 have done to the crops has been estimated in some years 

 as high as forty millions sterling ! That this is not an 

 undue estimate will be seen from the following extract 

 of a correspondent of The Field, dating from Havre, 

 May 0, 1868 : 



"Gardening is here carried on under very great 

 difficulties. Every Frenchman who has a chance is a 

 * chasseur indomptable,' and consequently great is the 

 destruction of every kind of small bird, so that the 

 insects enjoy a perfect jubilee. The air has been black 

 with cockchafers during the last ten days. So great is 

 the damage done by them that a penny per pound 

 weight is paid for them, and numbers of men and boys 

 are engaged hunting them. On Saturday, a cart drawn 

 by two horses, threw its load of over 3000 kilogrammes 

 of dead cockchafers into the sea." 



Such is the result of the undue interference with 

 nature's laws. No one asserts that the presence of 



