I 9°7J Some Notes on the Food of Birds. 405 



and strawberries. Of late years it has been observed to devour 

 red currants before they have turned colour. Eats lettuce, 

 crocus, and polyanthus flowers, takes wheat and barley from 

 the growing ear, also the shoots and plumules of sprouting 

 grain. The amount of insect food eaten is comparatively 

 small, as it feeds its young very early on grain, but daddy-long- 

 legs and green caterpillars, including caterpillars of the winter 

 moth, and probably Tortrix viridis are given to the young. 

 Mr. Batchelor, of Cliffe, has seen it eating caterpillars on goose- 

 berries, and it also eats some aphis on damson and other trees ; 

 Rev. Theodore Wood has known it eat Sitones weevils on peas. 

 To the farmer, fruit-grower, and gardener the sparrow is a 

 destructive bird and should be reduced. 



Bullfinch.- — Complaints have been received from Kent, 

 Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester, and Hants as to its destruc- 

 tiveness to gooseberry, plum, cherry, and other fruit buds. 

 Greengage, Black Diamond and Monarch plums, and damsons are 

 specially attacked. Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier wrote to the Field, 

 22nd December, 1906 : — " I have taken no less than eighty-four 

 perfect gooseberry blossoms from the interior of one bullfinch, 

 and unless fruit of this kind is protected by netting, its growth 

 is impossible " (near London). 



Blackbird. — Complaints as to this bird are numerous from 

 fruit districts. It is said to be " by far the greatest offender 

 in attacking fruits " (Hants). It eats strawberries, goose- 

 berries, raspberries, red currants, Logan berries (but not black- 

 berries), apples, pears, plums, cherries, figs, mulberries, and 

 tomatoes. " It has increased enormously during the last few 

 years, there has been no severe winter to clear them off, and the 

 Bird Protection Act has the effect of increasing them so that 

 their natural food is insufficient for them " (Kent). A corre- 

 spondent reports that he had to give up red currant growing in 

 Hereford. Except during fruit time it is a harmless or useful 

 bird, eating worms, grubs, &c. 



Starling. — This bird is said to be " very useful for part of 

 the year, as it devours the leather-jacket grub and wireworm," 

 but a number of correspondents state that it is one of the 

 most serious enemies to fruit. One writer referring to the 

 district of Essex between Colchester and Maldon observes : — 

 u Only one bird is dangerous to my crops — that is the starling. 



