Journal of Proceedings. 
xxm 
numerous as swallows, the food of the former must be more abundant. 
I think the swallows take larger insects than martins. In the part of 
the country where I live, when we had plenty of martins, the midges 
which bite so badly were unknown; as the martins disappeared, the 
country became full of the midges. I rather think that these things 
were cause and effect, for when we had hardly any martins the midges 
would not let us sit in the garden on still, warm evenings from April to 
October, and since the martins have so much increased there my garden 
is comparatively free from these pests, while in all other gardens near 
they are as bad as ever. The martins are worth all the other birds put 
together, in showing life in the air for six months in the year in town, 
village, and country, always to be seen about the houses when protected. 
They are individually less graceful in then' flight than swallows, but their 
greater numbers when they have fan play, their habit of nesting and 
flying in company, and generally higher, and their bright black and pure 
white plumage, make them a better feature in the view. I should be 
very sorry to be without either swallows or martins. To any lover of 
bnds, accustomed to see them in numbers, a place looks dull in summer 
without martins, and then disappearance seems to me an evil of national 
importance, only to be avoided by protecting them. Some people would 
gladly destroy the sparrows, but fear that shooting them would banish 
other birds. There is no ground for this fear. Bnds have quite sense 
enough to disregard noise which does not hurt them. About my house 
other bnds not being shot take no notice of the report of a gun, and when 
a sparrow is shot near their nests the martins really seem to enjoy the 
sight, and often come hovering round in a crowd where then enemy has 
just fallen. Among the birds which nest in and close to my garden are 
rooks, jackdaws, starlings, ring-doves, stock-doves, turtle-doves, missel- 
thrushes, blackbirds, thrushes, and nightingales, besides numbers of 
small bnds of most of the common species. Swallows and martins are 
often in dry weather put to great straits for want of mud with which to 
build then nests. For the last two or three years I have supplied them 
with clay, and find that the best way is as soon as the birds come to put 
the clay in a heap near a pond, and once in a few days throughout the 
summer to spread a very little of the clay with a spade a few yards along 
the edge of the water, so as to wet it. Both species use it freely. If 
much is put into the water, pigs, if they can get at it, will soon remove 
the clay by wallowing in it.” 
[Mr. J. E. Harting, F.L.S., has favoured the Editor with the following 
remarks :—“ I have read Col. Bussell’s paper on ‘Martins and Sparrows.’ 
He seems to have made out a good case against the sparrow, in his own 
neighbourhood at all events. But it does not follow because he has 
found on examination of the contents of stomachs that the sparrow feeds 
chiefly on grain, ripe or unripe, in his district, that this is its food every¬ 
where. The sparrow, like other creatures, adapts itself to circumstances, 
and in towns, where it cannot procure grain, it lives on a great variety of 
food, and destroys a great number of insects, aphides of various kinds, 
and cockchafers. 
“ I think if I were in Col. Bussell’s place I should do as he has done, 
but I should not go so far as to advocate a universal slaughter of 
sparrows.” —Ed.] 
The President said they were very much indebted to Col. Bussell for 
this interesting paper, which was evidently the result of many years’ 
personal observation and experience. The author had certainly brought 
a very serious list of charges against their old and lively friend, the sparrow. 
