WilA Birds in Relation to Agriculture. SsB 
causing grouse disease, and on the moorlands the serious increase 
of vipers,' we come to the kestrel, the sparrow-hawk, and the 
merlin, which all have their special uses; unfortunately the 
kestrel is becoming more and more scarce.^ Canon Tristi’am, 
F.R.S., a witness, told the Committee, “ I met the keeper 
of Lord Boyne, who had just killed a kestrel. I said it was a 
shame, it did no harm. " Oh, sir,’ he replied, ‘ it’s varmin, 
they kill the partridges.’ I said, ‘ I will give you five shillings 
for every partridge feather you find in the bird's crop.’ We 
opened the cock kestrel, and I counted 178 wire worms and not 
a feather ! ” ^ The hawks, owls, and weasels on Lord Middleton’s 
estate, Wollaton, wnre so kept down with pole traps, and 
otherwise, that as many as 1,500 rats killed per month were 
paid for.'* 
The text-book of Agricultural Ornithology, well illustrated 
as suggested by Miss Ormerod, exactly meets my views, and, 
indeed, I had already conversed on the subject with my colleague, 
who takes the chief part in our Educational department. 
But further, I am about to invade the province in which 
the Honorary Consulting Entomologist of the Society reigns 
supreme, and plead with her — in the sense of encouragement and 
counsel — for a complementary Text-Book of Agricultural Ento- 
mology also well illustrated. Indeed, from the evidence before 
the Commons’ Committee, such a text-book is essential to 
modern agricultural education. In a highly cultivated field, for 
example, an insect lives as it were in a larder — everything 
ready to its mouth, so that insect is more favourably circum- 
stanced in regard to propagating than if, scattered over a wide 
area, it had to travel far and near in search of food.’’ We want 
information not only as to vegetarian insects, but in regard also 
to pi’edaceous insects — insects that live on insects.® It is said 
some in.sects are distasteful to birds — social caterpillars, for ex- 
ample ; but how about their larva) — that may be a dainty dish 
to set before a bird ? One witness had in confinement one 
thousand caterpillars of the tiger-moth ; they together in feeding 
power were computed to be equal to six rabbits or more.® 
Miss Ormerod, by her writings and example, will assuredly 
be the foundi’ess of a school of Agricultural Entomology : the 
study and practice of this science being absolutely essential to 
agriculture. Leaving cremation out of the question — insects 
will certainly continue to remember us long after we have 
forgotten them.® 
* 41. “ 43-44. » 17. * 1565. * 3C66. 
« 3096-3105. ' 273. * 2896. 
“ Insects are scavon.i^ers which usually follow upon a morbid or lifeless 
VOL. m. T. S,— 10 Z 
