426 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
here than in England. He thought that the bad effects of the 
small birds had been much exaggerated, pointed out the great use 
they were, and drew attention to several useful native birds, especially 
the Tern, or Sea-swallow. He thought, however, that something 
must be done to check the increase of the introduced birds; the 
present system of poisoning was altogether bad, as it killed all kinds. 
He advocated the introduction ofthe Kestrel. 
Mr. Ritson agreed with Mr. Murphy. He remembered when 
the caterpillars were so numerous as to eat the tussocks. 
Mr. Fereday thought that the farmers who abused the small 
birds had not formed their opinion on scientific principles, but 
merely by guessing. The opening up of the virgin ground, and 
the introduction of English plants enormously increased the num- 
bers of caterpillars. Now, however, moths and caterpillars, for- 
merly abundant, were becoming very rare; this, no doubt, was 
owing to the increase of the small birds. All newly-introduced 
animals increased largely at first, but this righted itself in time 
when the natural destructive forces were brought into play ; even 
now there seemed to be a decrease. The average yield of corn 
in Canterbury was not less now than formerly, and consequently 
there was no proof that the birds did any harm. Larks eat the 
tops of shooting corn, but he did not think they pulled them up; 
the corn was brought to the surface by the action of night frosts, 
and then the Larks got atit. Poisoning was exceedingly injurious; 
the game birds were often poisoned, and he had known eighteen 
or twenty dead rooks picked up in a day near Fendall-town. 
Rooks were very valuable birds, as they ate the cockchafer grub 
which destroyed the grass. Linnets eat wheat, but only for a 
short time in the year. Small birds were, however, very destruc- 
tive to fruit ; he could get none now of any kind. 
Mr. Webb pointed out that fruit was abundant at Akaroa, and 
many places near Christchurch, so that the birds did not destroy 
it altogether. Still he thought that some means were required for 
keeping them moderately in check; nothing could be worse than 
poisoning, The Acclimatisation Society did not introduce the 
Sparrow. Some were brought to Lyttleton in a ship, but the 
Society would not buythem. The captain sold them to someone, 
who turned them out at Kaiapoi. The Acclimatisation Society 
took great precautions before introducing anything. He thought 
that the farmers would bitterly regret the wholesale destruction of 
birds by poison. 
Mr. Chilton said that formerly caterpillars were extraordinarily 
numerous near Kaiapoi, and were very destructive. The farmers 
used to dig trenches to catch them. Also, before the introduction 
of Sparrows the pea-pods used to be full of caterpillars, and the 
peas destroyed ; now there were hardly any in the pea-pods. He 
did not think that the Sparrow was now increasing, probably it 
was decreasing in numbers. He had heard no complaints against 
the Sparrows this year from the farmers near Kaiapoi. 
Mr. Barkas pointed out that the farmers did not complain of 
the Sparrows, which had killed off the caterpillars, but of the Sky- 
lark. He thought that these birds did not eat insects, but pulled 
up the sprouting grain. Some farmers near Lincoln had had half 
their crops pulled up, others had been obliged to sow over again ; 
and the same was the case with mangold and grass. The Larks, 
