14 APRIL 1928, Page 14

Alt HUNGARIAN VIEW.

Ought we to destroy our rooks ? They certainly do a world of good in general and are a special enemy to the destructive grubs of the daddy-long-legs. At one of the quinquennial international conferences on birds the greatest of authorities, an Hungarian farmer, M. Svetozar, told me he had studied the rook for years, and had come to definite conclusions. The rook was a benefactor ; but as soon as the numbers became excessive, and this clever bird was faced by the struggle for life, he took to all sorts of habits contrary to his nature. Especially he became, like his cousins the crow and magpie, carnivorous. He would kill young birds as well as suck their

eggs.