3 
chapter on Miscellaneous Small Birds, which I contributed 
to a book by various hands, called “ Ornithology in relation to 
Agriculture and Horticulture ” (Allen & Co., 1893 ), to which 
I would refer those who are interested in the subject. Upon 
the much vexed question of the rook and the farmer, I must 
also refer them to my article on the rook in the same work, 
where the evidence for and against this bird is brought together 
and fully discussed. 
The magpie, jackdaw, and crow are all liable to be mis¬ 
chievous sometimes ; but, on the 6 ther hand, the amount of 
worms and grubs they must eat is enormous. The raven is 
so scarce now in England that it is hardly necessary to con¬ 
sider it. It certainly attacks young lambs freely on the 
Welsh mountains, but it is only during a small portion of the 
year that it is possible to get young lamb. The most that can 
be said against the starling is that he takes ripe fruit, sometimes 
(under exceptional circumstances) in considerable quantities ; 
but on the other hand when we read M. Prevost’s catalogue 
of the starling’s food during the year, and consider the vast 
flocks of these birds we see on our grass lands, we can have no 
hesitation in concluding that the starling is a most useful bird. 
With regard to our wild pigeons, there is no doubt that the 
ring dove is a most destructive bird, though even this species 
does some good ; the stock dove, in some (proved) particulars, 
is less harmful, and the turtle dove, which leaves us in autumn, 
is only very occasionally complained of. With regard to 
pheasants and partridges, for my part I can only say that I do 
not attach importance to the suggestion of damage done by 
them. 
After all, the gist of the question is this—What wages are 
we willing to pay for services done ? Who can estimate 
adequately the magnitude of the services the birds render us ? 
No human means or device would in any degree suffice to 
check the enormous increase of those noxious insects (and the 
consequent extensive ravages upon our crops) which would 
