M2 



THE KAT'URALISl', 



innocent members of the above order are the jackdaw, Corvus monedula^ 

 and the rook-crow, Corvus frugilegus, which feed a great deal on cockchafers, 

 snails, earthworms, mole-crickets, and mice. Those few birds which live 

 exclusively on vegetable products would appear prima facie, to be hostile t o 

 mankind, and to be very injurious to the cultivator of the soil. This appre- 

 hension is more imaginary than real ; man is too much inclined to overlook 

 and forget the great indirect profit lie derives from the Granivora, and only 

 to look upon the damage they cause at certain periods. Do not they destroy 

 quantities of the seed of all kinds of weeds ? And how can the agriculturist 

 (as happens in most countries) look upon the woodpigeon as a real plague ? 

 Let him but talie time to observe how those birds consume the seeds of the 

 nigella, the wild poppy, and several noxious varieties of the euphorbia, 

 which no domesticated animal will eat, as observed by Glauser. For the above 

 reason pigeons are now stricti}'' preser'/ed in Belgium. The crossbill, Loxla 

 curvirostHs, and the aberdevine or siskin Carduelis spinus, eat, it is true, 

 many seeds of trees, but they also consume great quantities of burdoclc seeds; 

 others again of the Granivora, the mountain linnet or twite, Fringilla moii- 

 tium, the brambling finch, Fringilla montifringilla, &c., eat alamdantly of 

 the seeds of plaintain, wild poppy, burdock, chickweed, groundsel, sowthistle, 

 and other noxious weeds. The bullfinch, Loxia pyrrJiiila, on the contrary 

 commits depredations amongst blossoms; whilst the hawfinch Coccothraustes 

 vulgaris, despoils cherry-trees to obtain the kernel of the fruit ; tliese two 

 last species, however, do not often obtrude themselves in our way. 



This rapid and imperfect survey of the economy of nature is sufficient 

 to convince us that we have numerous and vigorous auxiliaries always at hand 

 to arrest the ever threatening invasions of predacious .and destructive insects ; 

 it is our duty to aid and encourage their increase and employ their energi(3S 

 for the advancement of agrarian cultivation. We must begin then by 

 abstaining from shooting useful birds, by favouring their reproduction, and 

 Iby familiarising them with our persons ; bird-netting is an abuse unfortu- 

 nately too frequently indulged in, but it ought to be banished from the vicinity 

 of all cultivated lands, as being extremely detrimental to agriculture. If one 

 only reflects how much the little creatures help to enliven our fields and 

 gardens v/ith their gay chirruping, their fine plumage, their active and lively 

 ways, — and how many victims are sacrificed before one is secured to bear for a few 

 short years the tedious imprisonment of the cage — it is Titterly impossible to 

 feel any sympathy for bird-catchers. If sport is to extend beyond the birds 

 required for our use — if children find an amusement in entrapping the tit- 



