The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-05 00:00:00

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The Dzstruction of Small Birds.

The eminent ornithologist, Edward 'Wilson, has
recently addro7sed the fol!owing admirable com-
munication to our leading contemporary :
In a retired corner of the French department of the In-
ternational Exhibition there lay a long row of mysterious
and rather dingy specimens, which, in spite of their unat-
tractive appearance, well deserved a study, even in the msur-
idst
of the bright and beautiful objects by which they
were
rounded.
They consisted of a very numerous collection of the
stomachs of bird, with their contents spread out on sheets
of paper, with a written description of their contents, the
time of the year in which the bird was taken, and other par-
ticulars. They were the work of M. Florent-Prevost, the
celebrated French naturalist, who for 30 years has been
prosecuting, his inquiri, s of this kind, and endeavouring to
convince his countrymen of the suicidal folly of which they
are guilty in the persistent and indiscriminate slaughter of
these beautiful little creatures.
In taking steps to impress particularly upon our younger
people in Australia the mistake they commit in destroying
these birds which we are taking such trouble to introduce
among them, I have put myself in communication with this
kind-hearted and enlightened philosopher, and by his aid I
have prepared a tolerably complete list of what is eaten
during each month of the year by the more common of our
birds. And, I think, that this list is worth study at home,
when the destruction of small ',birds by poison and other
means is attracting Parliamentary notice, and the undenied
facts aro brought before the public of whole tracts of forest
land laid waste, and whole countries reduced to famine by
the thoughtless removal of the only effective check upon
the ravages of the insect tribe, we really ought to dwell
upon that point. The little bird is our only safeguard
against a pest, which but for it would soon become evei-
whelp:ling. As Michelet very well says—" The bird can
live without the man, but the man cannot live without the
bird." Were we all to resolve ourselves into one great
sparrow club we should all in a few years perish from
famine.

I trust, then, that this list would be found useful, and I
would suggest to parents and teachers particularly that it
might advantageously be cut out and preserved for future
use, that the minds of young people might be properly im-
pressed with the ideas of the usefulness as well as beauty of
the pretty little things that enliven our hedge rows and hop
across our paths.

Long-eared owl—January, February, and March, mice—
April, cockchafers—May, rats, squirrels, and cockchafers—
June, meal worm, beetles, and shrew
,mice—July, :mice,
ground and other beetles--August, shrew and other mice—
September, October, and November, mice.
Short-eared Owl—January, mice—February, harvest
mice—March, mice—April, crickets and harvest mice—
May,shrew mice and cockchafers--June, beetles—July,field
mice and birds—August, field and shrew mice—September
and October, field mice and beetles—November, common
and field mice—December, mice, spiders, and wood lice.
Barn Owl—January and February, mice—March, April,
May, and June, field mice—July and August, mice—Sep-
tember and October, field and shrew mice—November, mice
and the black rat—December, mice.
. _

Rook—January, field mice and larva) or grub of cock-
chafer—February, field mice, grub of cockchafer, and red
worms—March, grubs and chrysolids—Anril, slugs, worms,
and chrysolids—May, beetles, grubs, prawns, and wire
worms—June, cockchafers, eggs of birds, and wood-boring
beetles—July, young birds, beetles, &o.—August, birds,
field mice, weevils, crickets, and grasshoppers—September,
grubs and worms—October, grasshoppers, ground beetles,
and young anirnals—November, young rabbits and different
insects and grubs—December, different animals and decay-

ins. substances.
Islagpie.—January, grubs of cockchafers, young beetles,
and cern and seeds—February, the seine, and berries—
March. the same—April, crickets, water rats, and mice—
May, cockchafers, glowworms, and fruits—June, the same,
and weevils—July, beetles and field !nice—August, birds'
eggs and weevils—September, beetles, worms, barley, and
grasshoppers—October, grossheppers, carrion beetles, and
green locusts —November,grasshoppers and kernels of fruits
—December, grubs of cockchafers, young rabbits, and berries.
Jay—January, grubs of cockchafers, acorns, and berries—
February, chrysolids, and differentgrams and seeds—March,
andgrubs, n insects,us mails--May,
ecaotc,
kaend
ha
fer
s barley—April,anci
llocusts—June,
st grubs
s
Ju ofe
ebge
ge tsl e
os
birds, cockchafers, and beetles—July, young birds, flies, and
beetles—August, the same, acorns, grubs, and dragon flies
--September, the same and fruits— October and November,
beetles, slugs, snails, and grain—December, the same,
haws, hips, &c.
Starling.—January, worms, grubs of cockchafers, and
the dung of animals—February, grubs, snails, and slugs
—March and April, grubs of cockchafers and snails—May,
the same, and grasshoppers and fruits—June, lines, and
grubs of various flies and fruits—July, grubs, fresh water
shell fish, and fruits—August, flies, glow worms, and various
beetles and fruits—September, green locusts, grubs of car-
rion, beetles, and w, rms—October, worms and beetles—
November, snails, slugs, and grubs—December, hips,,haws,
and buds of trees.
Golden Oriole—January, various chrysolids. February,
chrysolids and worms. March, grubs, and beetles. April,
ground beetles and weevils. May, betties, moth.:, butter-
flies, and grubs. June, grubs, grasshoppers, bees, and
cherries. July, cheerios and beetles. August, weevils,
chrysolids, fruits, and worms. September, beetles, grubs,
worms, and fruits. October, grubs, herbs, chrysolids,
berries, and barley. November, ants and worms.
Crested Hoopoe—January, worms, grubs, and snails—
February, March, and April, the same and birds—May,
flies, dragon flies, and grubs of May-fly—June, water and
land snails, flies, S.:3.—July, August, September, the same
and wood-lice—October and November, snails, flies, and
spiders—December, the same and worms.
Green Woodpecker—January, ants—February, worms
and grubs of ants—March, slugs, beetles, and grubs of ants—
April, ants and worms—May, red ants and grubs of wasps
—June, Lees and ants—July, red ants—August, red ants
and worms—September, ants and worms—Otober, grubs of
ants—November, grubs of ants and bees—and December,
ants,

Reed Thrush—March, grubs and insects—April, aquatic
grubs—May, grubs of house and dragon flies—June,
worms, grubs, flies, and May flies—July, beetles and
dragon flies—August, worms, eggs of insects, and beetles
—and September, aquatic insects.
Great Titmouse—January, beetles and eggs of insects—
February, grubs—March, winter ensile, beetles, and grubs
—April, cockchafers, beetles, and bees—June, cockchafers,
flies, and other insects—July, the same—August, insects
and fruits—September, seeds, grasshoppers, and crickets--
October, berries—and November, seeds.
Blackbird—January and February, seeds, spiders, and
chrysolids—March, worms, grubs, and buds of trees—
April, insects, worms, and grubss—May, the same and
cockchafers--June, the same and fruit—July, August, Sep-
tember, all sorts of NI orms and fruit—October, grubs of
butterflies and worms—November, and December, seeds
. and chrysolids.
Skylark—January, seeds of wild plants—February,seeds
and corn—March, various insects, worms, seeds, and corn
—April, insects, beetles, and corn—May, flies and various
insects —June, grasshoppers,w urns and corn—July, crickets
and grasshoppers—August, insects, corn, and seeds of
weeds—September, seeds, worms, and barley—October,
November, seeds, corn, and berries—December, seeds of
wild plants.
Redbreast—January, insects, worms, and chrysolids—
February, insects, worms, and wood lice—March, chryso-
lids, and worms—April, moths. eggs of insects, and cock-
chafers—May, grubs and beetles—June, flies, moths, spi-
ders, and worms—July, moths, butterflies, and wood lice—
Angust and September, the same and worms—October,
eggs of insects and aquatic insects—November, worms and
chrysolids—Dec., chrysolids, grub, and eggs of moth.
Nightingale—February, grubs and worms—March, the
same and chrysolids, and ground beetles—April, flies, meal-
worms, beetles, and red worms—May, butteiflies, cockcha-
fers, weevils, and grubs—June, spiders, wood-boring
beetles, and worms—July, worms, grubs, eggs of locusts,
grasshoppers, moths and flies—August, locusts, glow-
worms, weevils, and grubs—September, locusts, beetles,
worms, and dragon flies—October, grubs, worms, and
beetles—November, flies and worms.
Linnet—January, February, March, and April, seeds and
berries—May, June, July, August, and September, the
same and insects—October, November, and December,
berries, seeds, buds of trees, and fruit.
Chaffinch—January, seeds, berries, and kernels of fruit—
February, the same and corn—March, the same and in-
sects—April, moths, flies, and insects of various kinds—
May, cockchafers, grubs, and eggs of insects—June, the
same and wild fruit—July, the same and grubs of beetles—
August, moths and butterflies—September, eggs of insects,
worms, and seeds—October, wood-boring beetles and in-
sects—November, seeds—December, seeds and buds.
Greenfinch—January, February, and March, seeds,
berries, wild fruit, worms, &c.—April, May, June, July,
and August, the same and insects—September, October,
November, and December, seeds, berries, worms, wild
fruit, &C.
The sparrow only lives near the habitations of man. It
varies its food according to
in a
o
d circumstances. In a wood it
village it feeds on seed.,
lives on insects and seeds
itsomeliv e s o n
otherel l
kinds of debris. But &ccockchafers.; ina
city
an id
grain, and larvsa of buttperrflefieesr,s
insects to all other food.
In looking over this list F criticallyior entPrevost
roeuvro spB7
harrasowherkeillaenrds
will probably think that M.
there allowed the advocate rather to interfere with the
And in his zeal to show
it is notorious that birds consume.
destroyed by his little
philosopher, and they may miss some articles of food which
the amazing quantity of insects
perhaps scarcely accords with our less accurate
proteges, the proportion of fruit, grain, &c ,
inspection, and we
Still these results are obtained by actual
has been found.
may be sure that everything enumerated
. also
observation.eonsum ed
AinnFdrweeeeme
auestd rtehmeet mthbeerfotohda.totfhheisredeeswpiellriemlwenatyss whee rlearmgaedve
influenced by local peculiarities.
It is worth mentioning that a study of M.Florent Pr:;os.
deal
specimens showed another important fact ranging
the above list; that many birds, namely, d
living a good
upon grain, feed their young entirely on insects, so that
t
they aro serving u admirably in this way at a MUM' who

insects are most rife, even when the examination of their
own stomachs would lead as to denounce them as little
better than mere plunderers.
And here I would draw attention to the value of another
set of experiments recently reported in the papers, aisug-
gestive of the incredible quantity of insects destroyed by
such agencies. A gentleman took some young robins and
fed them himself, weighing them and their food accurately
day by day, to discover what quantity a young bird required
to keep it in a growing and healthy condition. As he went
on he became more and more astounded at the result,
and he found that taking the commonearthworra, as a
representative of the food, the daily supply required to
keep a young robin in its highest health, laid end to end
would reach the almost incredible length of 11 feet. This
seems amazing, but those will not hesitate to believe it who
have watched the incessant activity during the long hours
of a summer's day of a pair of birds with a nest of young.
Rut let us put this and that together when we wish pro-
perly to estimate the services of this invaluable little thief-
catcher, and with a true conception of the part ho has fo
play among us, let us do what we can to save him from the
wanton shot and cowardly poison.—l am, Sir, your obedient
servant, EDWARD WILSON.
Reform Club.

resolutions on the following Fubjects :-1. On alterations in
the Act of Confederation and its supplements. 2, On the
Budget of the Band. 3. For the establishment of " gene-
ral features for the legislation of the separate ~:itates," in
regard to matters connected with the press, the right of
association, the right of domicile, and of all matters of com-
mon interFt which may at some future time be brought
under the direct influence of the Band,''

Bids relative to an alteration of the constitution of the
Bund, to a supplement to the same, or to the matters
which have hitherto been settled by the legislative bodies
in the separate States, can only be passed by a majority of
at least three-fourths of the members of the Federal As-
sembly. [Originally it was four-firths, but several mem-
bers of the Congress spoke in favour of a majority of three-
fourths.]

The Federal Assembly, like th 3 Directory, has a right
to bring in bills, but if a bill contains propositions for an
alteration of the constitution of the Bund, or of a supple-
ment to the same, it must, before it can to brought in, have
the approval of at least three-fourths of the members of the
-Assembly:l-

Art. 21. In all matters which concern the separate
States rather than the Band, the Federal Assembly has only
a right to deliberate and mediate.
Art. 22. In all Federal matters the Chamber of Dele-
gates has a right to make representations and complaints.