628 
The Diamond-bach Moth. 
liave also eaten a number of the caterpillars, but of that I am not 
certain." — A. B. 
" I have seen no birds near the field except larks." — F. B. 
" I am told that crows and starlings were seen among the cater- 
pillar-eaten turnips. I must say I saw them there no more than 
usual, and sparrows and smaller birds preferred the barley." — 
J. A. B. 
" Yellowhammer, wagtail, and linnet." — D. C. 
" The rook and the plover." — R. C, for Lord Auckland. 
" I consider the starling the most useful bird we have in clearinjr 
the caterpillars ; they have been very active of late, and very numer- • 
ous. Sparrows are too numerous, and are against the swallows." 
— G. D. 
" The starling is by far the most useful, and the rook to a cer- 
tain extent." — J. D. » 
" The common house-sparrow has done a lot of good by picking 
off the grub-s."— J. P. D. 
" Crows have been all over the fields since May ; many starlings 
appeared when we had the caterpillars, and I noticed many small 
birds in the turnips, chiefly linnets." — W. F. 
" A great number of sea-gulls have frequented the field, and 
also grey plovers." — T. F. 
" I had noticed the crow paying particular attention to the 
worst parts of the field, so I shot one of them to see what it had in 
its crop, and found it full of caterpillars —hundreds of them ." — J. H. 
" Starlings and tliousands of smaller birds might be seen feeding 
on them." — J. L. 
" Starlings in flocks noted feeding." — " N. Lines." 
"There have been thousands of starlings, green and golden 
plovers, gulls, chaf- and green-finches frequenting all niy turnip 
fields for some weeks, and I have no doubt they have cleared thou- 
sands of caterpillai-s oflf daily during that time." — W. P. 
" Cannot say, but should judge that sparrows, rooks, and wood- 
pigeons are no use." — F. R. 
" Fowls of all sorts followed the hoers and eagerly ate the cater- 
pillars ; no birds specially noticed though looked for ; last winter 
killed great numbers of blackbirds and thrushes." — B. C. R. 
" Starlings, sparrows, chaffinches, and linnets very plentiful, and 
all most industrious." — J. Sn. ^ 
" Birds did not come much to the turnips, but I believe peewits 
and starlings are most useful." — J. B. S. 
" Cannot speak of any birds being useful, as the caterpillars were 
too few for the birds to be making a special raid on them." — J. Sr. 
" I think the starling. Infested crops have been much fre- 
quented by rooks." — ^R. \V. S. 
" Starlings and lapwings have done much good in clearing 
caterpillars ; sparrows and rooks are occupied with early oats — no 
time to spare for caterpillars." — F. W. 
Summary. — In 12 of the above 22 observations the starling is 
mentioned as serviceable. Sparrows are mentioned seven times ; once 
