Usefulness of Birds in Agriculture and Gardening. 327 



Cup. capensis, Loddiges's Cat., 1830. Ju. bermudiana, 2498. 



australis. daurica, 2500. 



articulata. phcenicea, 2501. 



repanda. lycia, 2502. 



occidentalis. thurifera, 2503, 



Juniperus communis, Arb.Brit., p.2489. excelsa, 2503. 



Oxycedrus, 2494. recurva, 2504. 



drupacea, 2494. chinensis, 2505. 



virginiaria, 2495. Sabina, 2499. 



humilis, 2495. var. 2. prostrata, 2499. var. 4. 



Bruges, March 11. 1839. 



Art. VIII. Remarks on the Usefulness of Birds in Agriculture and 

 Gardening. By G. Ord. 



I have been reflecting much upon the conversation which we 

 had together, a few evenings ago, on the subject of the useful- 

 ness of birds to agriculture. The farmers of Great Britain, as 

 well as those of North America, are influenced by prejudices 

 which a little investigation of the economy of nature would tend 

 to remove. The rook is by many esteemed a noxious bird ; 

 and yet his services, in the grub-destroying way, are beyond 

 estimation. There is no knowing what would be the disastrous 

 result of his extirpation. The common sparrow is a favourite 

 bird with me. Were I an English farmer, I should encourage 

 this industrious and lively little fellow to take up his abode with 

 me, under the full persuasion, that the little grain he would 

 devour would be more than compensated by the thousands of 

 harmful insects that he would destroy. The sparrows have 

 entire liberty at Walton Hall, the seat of our friend, Charles 

 Waterton, Esq. ; but we hear no complaint of their depreda- 

 tions. Even of the choice fruit they take but a little, and this 

 is not begrudged them by their generous protector. 



When residing in the interior of Pennsylvania, I made an 

 interesting experiment. Being fond of rearing poultry, I had 

 a large stock at seed-time, between four and five hundred 

 domestic fowls. My wheat field was near the house, and 

 my farmer maintained that, unless the fowls were locked up, 

 there would be no crop. Not being disposed to imprison my 

 favourites, I gave orders to sow a piece of ground alongside 

 the barn, about half an acre, with wheat, for the sole use of the 

 poultry. I must confess that I did not suppose many grains 

 would have the liberty of vegetating, so thorough a scratching 

 did the place undergo. However, the wheat began to spring, 

 and gave indications of a crop. When the grain was ripe, my 

 farmer said he thought it was worth cutting, as it appeared to 

 have received but little injury from the fowls. In short, the 

 damage done by the fowls did not, in our estimation, amount to 



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