492 NATIVE SINGING BIRDS. 



birds so ruthlessly destroyed. Corroborative of this, we 

 would point to the swarms of caterpillars in the hedge- 

 rows and gardens round London of late years, and ask, Is 

 not this reasonably attributable to the diminution in the 

 number of our small birds ? 



On the other hand, we know by bitter experience how 

 vexatious it is to have our fruits injured or destroyed 

 before fit for gathering to have our seed-beds scratched 

 over immediately that the seed is carefully and laboriously 

 committed to the ground, or the springing germ destroyed 

 apparently in mere wantonness. And to this we are 

 certainly in no humour to submit. But is there no remedy 

 but death to the destroyer? Cannot we devise means 

 of shutting off the depredators by means of netting, 

 thereby effectually preserving the crops, which is rarely 

 done by the most uncompromising plans of bird-killing? 

 Cannot we by such means divert the busy energy of the 

 birds so as to avoid the harm and secure a greater bless- 

 ing? According to our view, there is a waste of thought 

 and labour in first devising means to destroy the birds, 

 and then having to provide something in the place of 

 birds to destroy the insects. Is it not less trouble and 

 sounder economy to protect our crops from the birds, 

 and thus compel the latter to search closer for insects 

 as a means of livelihood ? 



In our judgment at least it is about as just to kill birds 

 for destroying or stealing a few seeds and fruit, as it would 

 be to hang a man for misdemeanour or petty larceny. If, 

 as in some places is the case, birds destroy much fruit, let 

 us remember that they also destroy many insects, for the 

 fruit season is short, the insect season long. It is well 

 authenticated that a blackbird or a thrush will destroy 

 twenty slugs or snails in a day, and we have often been 

 astonished when watching the proceedings of the smaller 

 insectivorous birds by a computation of the quantity of 

 insects a nest of young finches will consume in the course 

 of a day. Thus, we venture to hope that we have shown 



