INCREASING BIRDS IN BRITAIN 257 



listen to the larks I Did you ever hear anything like 

 it ! " and so on. 



His host, his eyes cast down, trudged on in glum 

 silence* Finally the young man, carried away by 

 his enthusiasm, stopped and, turning to his com- 

 panion, shouted, " Listen ! Listen ! Do you hear 

 the larks i " 



" Oh, yes/' drawled the other, looking more glum 

 than ever, " I hear them fast enough. And I wish 

 they were all dead ! " 



So with the other charming species. The moan 

 of doves in immemorial elms is a pleasing sound to 

 the poets, but it does not prevent the farmers 

 throughout the land from wishing them all dead ; 

 and every person who possesses a gun is glad to 

 help in their massacre. For the bird is a pest and 

 he who shoots it is doing something for England ; 

 furthermore, shooting it is first-rate sport, not like 

 slaughtering wretched little sparrows or innocent 

 young rooks just out of their windy cradles. And 

 when shot it is a good table-bird, with as much tasty 

 flesh on it as a woodcock or partridge. 



How then can we account for the increase of such 

 a species i One cause is undoubtedly to be found 

 in the removal by gamekeepers of its three chief 

 enemies the carrion crow, magpie, and jay all 

 these three being great devourers of pigeons' eggs, 

 which of all eggs are most conspicuous and open to 



