A Plea for Small Birds. 583 



cially persecute for its supposed delinquencies amongst their 

 fruit-trees, but which the far-seeing American more correctly 

 pronounces ' one of the most successful foes of insects injurious 

 to vegetation/* 



See, again, a similar course of action which the authorities of 

 New Zealand deemed it advisable to pursue, when, in order to 

 rid themselves of the insect hordes which threatened to over- 

 whelm them and destroy their crops, they imported large 

 numbers of small birds from England, though the cost of such im- 

 portation from so great a distance, and of so perishable an article, 

 was necessarily attended with great expense. Accordingly we read 

 that one vessel alone carried out from England 1,130 living birds ; 

 viz., Blackbirds, Thrushes, Starlings, Goldfinches, Redpolls of 

 each, 100; Hedge-sparrows, 150; Linnets, 140; Goldfinches, 160; 

 Yellowhammers, 170 ; and, lastly, Partridges, 110. Arrived in 

 New Zealand, they were let fly under proper authority ; and a 

 heavy penalty was enforced against shooting at or in any way 

 injuring any of these birds. For, however little appreciated 

 their gratuitous services are here, the New Zealand farmers 

 declared that they could not get on without them, for they alone 

 would keep down the insects that ravage the crops. It was also 

 estimated that one little bird single-handed would, from his size 

 and build, be able to get at and destroy in a few hours more 

 insects than ten men would in a week.-f 



Supported thus by such undeniable evidence, I do not hesitate 

 to say that the small birds, which the gardener so often condemns, 

 are in reality the very best friends he has. He sees them busy 

 at the fruit-trees and I do not deny that many species will have 

 u share of the fruit if they can get it and then he condemns 

 them and persecutes them to the death, as if they were his 

 bitterest foes. Whereas, during all the rest of their sojourn in 

 this country, they are employed in his service, ridding him of a 

 real evil, which he is powerless otherwise to overcome, and 

 which, without their aid, would overwhelm his fruit-trees alto- 

 gether, to the utter destruction of blossom and leaf, and all hope 

 * Zoologist for 1873, p. 3696. f Ibid i 1875 P- 4336 - 



