ON THE PRACTICABILITV OF ESTABLISHING "a CLOSE TIME." 03 



houses, &c., in order to induce sparrows and starlings to take up their abode 

 there, and assist in freeing the crops from dcstractivc insects. Sparrows, 

 starlings, and particularly jackdaws swarm near most of these villages, and, 

 according to what the peasants say, are of infinite use in freeing the crops 

 from insects. 



In Sweden, also, the starling is an especial favourite with the agriculturist, 

 and the Principal of the Bcida Forest School, Jagmastare Boman, makes 

 every one of his pupils prepare and hang up a certain number of these nesting- 

 boxes, or " holkar," before leaving the school. 



The late Mr. Charles Waterton also recommended the introduction into 

 England of this plan of providing nesting-boxes for starlings. 



In speaking of the starling, we may refer to a letter from Universitiits 

 Forstmeister Wiese, published in the ' Journal flir Ornithologie,' 1866, p. 422, 

 in which he urges the necessity of putting up nesting-boxes for starlings, and 

 states that at Elisenhain in the Griefswald the oak-forests were suffering 

 severely from the devastations of Tortriv viridana, when, to destroy this 

 insect, the starlings were protected, and these birds soon succeeded in keep- 

 ing down the numbers of this insect. 



Some agriculturists of New Zealand are at the present moment endeavour- 

 ing, at considerable expense, to introduce into those islands the rook, the 

 jackdaw, and the starling, for the purpose of protecting their crops from the 

 ravages of caterpillars and locusts. 



The best mode of judging of the good or harm done by birds is most cer- 

 tainly that of stiidi/inff the nature of their food; and as almost all our smallest 

 birds, even those which are chiefly graminivorous, feed their nestlings on in- 

 sects, it would surely benefit the farmer and ; gardener were they protected 

 during the time when the insects are most destructive to the crops. Even 

 the Raptores should, we think, be protected ; and in proof of this we may refer 

 to Professor Newton's paper on the " Zoological aspect of Game-Laws," read 

 at the last Meeting of the British Association, and the Eev. Dr. Tristram's 

 theory propounded at the Jileeting in 1867, viz. that the birds of prey are 

 the sanitary police of nature, and that if they had existed in their original 

 strength they would have stamped out the grouse-disease, inasmuch as hawks 

 in preference make sickly birds their quarry. 



Regarding the food of our birds we may make the following short re- 

 marks : — 



The common Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris), yvhich was once, it is true, common 

 in Great Britain, but is now rapidly approaching the fate of the Great 

 Bustard, owing chiefly to the mistaken zeal of the gamekeepers, is a bird by 

 no means injurious to game. Its food consists chiefly of frogs, mice, snails, 

 &c., and but seldom or never of birds. 



The Kestrel (Falco tinnuncidus) feeds almost entu'ely on field-mice, but also 

 cats beetles and grasshoppers. 



The Merlin (Falco cesalon) feeds chiefly on mice and small birds. 



The Sparrowhawk {Accipiter nisus) is perhaps the only true enemy of the 

 game-preserver ; though at the same time it is probable that if the good and 

 evil it does were justly weighed, the balance would be in favour of the hawk, 

 its favourite quarry being the Woodpigeon, which is now increasing to an 

 extent injurious to agriculture. 



As far as owls are concerned. Professor Newton clearly showed, at the 

 last Meeting of the British Association, that these birds are of the greatest 

 use to the agriculturist in destroying the small mammals which injure his 

 crops. Prof. Newton refers to the researchea of Dr. Altum, the results of 



