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VERMIN. 297 
thereby injuring the crops, as well as giving the land 
an uncouth appearance ; they are generally destroyed 
by professional mole catchers, who mate a trade of 
clearing a whole district or neighbourhood. 
Sparrows are the most injurious vermin of the fea¬ 
thered race, the most voracious and prolific, and wheat 
seems their favourite food, in which they do great mis¬ 
chief between the blossoming and ripening, particu¬ 
larly in the neighbourhood of villages, buildings, or 
high hedges: to prevent their harbouring in the latter, 
the hedges should always be plashed arid laid down 
round a wheat field, the season after sowing, which 
also secures the fences ; these birds are also very preju¬ 
dicial to thatched buildings. Some people have sup¬ 
posed they are of use in destroying insects, but this is 
doubtful, and this service is better left to swallows and 
other harmless birds. To lessen their numbers, netsshould 
be used in winter, and their eggs, or rather their young- 
destroyed at breeding time; to effect which, some 
parishes or villages give a bounty of so much per 
dozen upon their eggs, and a higher bounty upon their 
heads; but the destroying of these birds is not suffi¬ 
ciently attended to, and, I think, not so much as 
formerly. 
The rook, I believe, does less harm than good, as 
they are very serviceable in clearing the land of va¬ 
rious kinds of worms and grubs which are prejudicial 
to grain, to clover, and grasses, as well as to other use¬ 
ful plants. They will oftentimes attend a field fresh 
ploughing up in winter, in large flights, to pick worms 
and caterpillars out of the furrows, and thus prevent 
the increase of noxious insects. When other food is 
scarce, they will sometimes pick up the seed after sow¬ 
ing, or attack a growing crop, but may be kept off on 
these 
