292 
Garden Work 
The Kestrel. — Another great friend to the gardener. 
It lives on mice, small birds, beetles, &c. 
The Jay. — In some parts this bird does considerable 
damage to the fruit, not by eating it wholesale, but by 
taking a bite here, and another there, from any fruit it 
may fancy. 
The Wood Pigeon. — These birds are great enemies 
to the gardener, and where they exist in large numbers 
must be watched and kept in check. They are fond of 
beans that have been newly sown or are just coming up, 
and will soon destroy whole rows. They also do consider- 
able damage to plants by devouring the fresh green centres, 
especially in Cauliflowers, Cabbage, &c., or even, if hard 
pressed for food, by eating the whole plant. In the winter 
they will also attack and eat considerable quantities of 
winter greens which may be required for a totally different 
purpose. 
The Sparrow Hawk.— A most useful bird, living as 
it does on mice and small birds. It unfortunately attacks 
young game birds, and therefore brings down the wrath of 
the gamekeeper on its head. 
We thus see that the gardener has many friends as well 
as enemies among the birds. Those which feed on slugs, 
snails, &c., in the early season, but which feed on the fruit 
later, can be prevented from doing any damage to the fruit 
by netting the trees. Netting is comparatively cheap, and 
with ordinary care will last for a considerable time. 
