Birds and Barley It is an odd thing that the
Ministry of Agricdlture (whose natur history is often lamentable) and other bodies preach destruction of t rook (which does a deal of good as well as some harm), but say nothin of the jackdaw, which destroys eggs and young birds and will eat deal of grain. In a field of self-sown barley in my neighbourhood sportsman was called in to save the crop from pheasants. He respond but found in place of pheasants several hundreds of both jackdaws a rooks. The crops of both species were full of barley. Other crops other places were found full of wire-worm in the case of rooks ; but should doubt whether. jackdaws ever do such service by way of c pensation. In my neighbourhood jays are abnormally numerous and a clearing out the pea-pods wholesale, while the pigeons devour the Li bages. If we must destroy birds, let us concentrate on those that a known to *be harmful.
Previous page
