176 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



England, and are consequently very hardy; and 

 in some cases the rivers and streams they frequent 

 are exceedingly poor in fish. Some of them are 

 very beautiful, and they vary in size from birds 

 no larger than a sparrow to others as large as a 

 pigeon. 



Anglers might raise the cry that they require 

 all the finny inhabitants of our waters for their 

 own sport. It is scarcely necessary to go as 

 deeply into the subject as mathematical-minded 

 Mudie did to show that Nature's lavishness in 

 the production of life would make such a con- 

 tention unreasonable. He demonstrated that if 

 all the fishes hatched were to live their full term, 

 in twenty-four years their production power would 

 convert into fish (two hundred to the solid foot) 

 as much matter as there is contained in the whole 

 solar system — sun, planets, and satellites! An 

 "abundantly startling" result, as he says. To be 

 well within the mark, ninety-nine out of every 

 hundred fishes hatched must somehow perish dur- 

 ing that stage when they are nothing but suitable 

 morsels for the kingfisher, to be swallowed entire ; 

 and a portion of all this wasted food might very 

 well go to sustain a few species, which would be 



