666 Birds and Fruit Growers. [feb., 



ance against the general law, and that if a destructive bird has 

 been added to the schedule of his county, so that he cannot 

 kill it in the close time, he should seek redress from the County 

 Council. But as evidence brought before the Committee indi- 

 cated that most growers are unaware of their right of destroying 

 non-scheduled birds and eggs in the close time, it is recommended 

 that the rights of owners and occupiers of land should be 

 explicitly stated in Orders issued by County Councils. 



Having obtained a dozen local Orders as samples, without any 

 selection, I find that the bullfinch is protected in two of them 

 during the entire year, while the thrush, the chaffinch, and the 

 stock dove — birds which many fruit growers declare to require 

 thinning — are scheduled in others. Moreover, it is important to 

 observe that the Orders issued by local authorities frighten the 

 boys of our villages from bird-nesting altogether, even when 

 there is no prohibition. In a paper on " Fruit Growing and Bird 

 Protection," read recently before the Society of Arcs by Mr. 

 Cecil H. Hooper, it is stated that even in parts of Kent, a great 

 fruit county, all wild birds' eggs are protected ; also that where 

 this is not the case, he believes that school children fancy they are 

 prohibited from taking any birds' eggs. A village policeman 

 whom he consulted said that he stopped boys altogether from 

 taking eggs. 



It would be well if a consensus of opinion could be obtained 

 from fruit growers as to the birds which need a great reduction 

 in number. Probably they would be nearly unanimous in desir- 

 ing to withdraw protection from the sparrow, the bullfinch, and 

 the blackbird, as their most inveterate enemies ; while a great 

 majority would add other birds to the list of varieties needing 

 thinning. The song thrush, though at least as destructive as the 

 blackbird to soft fruit is much, less so to apples, and is, moreover, 

 a great eater of snails and a destroyer of insects and grubs of 

 various kinds throughout the greater part of the year. The 

 missel thrush, according to Mr. Hooper, is considered by Kentish 

 growers one of the worst birds for fruit. Both kinds of thrush, 

 and particularly the song thrush, are far too numerous. 



Probably no fruit-grower would have a word to say in' favour 

 of the sparrow or the bullfinch, while not many apologists could 

 be found for the blackbird. In my opinion the greater part of 



