The Hawaiian gazette., 1870-07-06
Legislation and Nature.

Readers of Darwin will remember how he traces
the connection between the number of cats in Civ
en- locality, and the number of humble bees and the
abundance of red clover and heartsease. Well, Mr..
loves Budget starts similar House-that-Jaek-
built The freedom of firearms from taxation affects
their number in any district, the number of guns
determines the number of our small birds, and the
number of our small birds affects the immunity of
fields from grasshoppers, cricket-moles, beetles
locusts, slugs &c. Mr.. Lowe was concerned for the
security of life, for the prevention Of early quasi
poaching habits, but his 81 tax may effect revolu
tion all the same 1t is no longer secret that what
persistent warfare is carried on against small
brds-against martins, blackbirds, sparrows, larks,
&c-vegeable life is sure to suffer. In tie Isle of
Bourbon, NJ. Mchelet tells us, the martin was
exterminated, and plague of grasshoppers, follow
ed; in Hungary, the sparrow was prescribed, until
this valiant militia of the fields had to be recalled
in the neighborhood of Rouen the backbird was shot
down without mercy and many a meadows turf
cOuld be rolled up like carpet; and in this country
We had, until lately sparrow clubs, which paid
for little victims at so many dozen, just two
three hundred years ago some of our plous church
wardens used to purchase hedgehogs of truant
schoolboys in the rural districts, lamentable in
crease of pestierous insects being the consequence
The Rev. Charles Kingsley gives us more recent
example. In Trinidad, the free negro has been
banging away at the small birds, partly for his own
pleasure and partly TO supply the London markets
and ladies' hats. What has been the conse-
quence? "AlIeady the turf of the savannah, or pub
lie park close by, is being destroyed by hordes of
mole-crickets, almost exactly like (strange to say)
those of our old English meadows; and unless
something is done to save the BIRDS the canes and
other crops will sure suffer in their turn. gun
license would be, it seems, both unpopular and
easily evaded in wild forest country. heavy ex-
port tax on bird-skins has been preferred" GOOD
Words, April.) single pair of swallows, says NJ.
Michelet, carry every week to the nest 800 cater
pillars c0leopterd The blaekbird is 4 notorious
insect eater, and consumes hundreds of imperfect
insects every day. say nothing of and slugs.
The common sparrow is vivacious feeder, and
somewhat dainty withal but it makes great havoc
with young worms and soft insects. All our field
birds, in short, troublesome and non-melodious as
many OF them are rid of millions of fast breeding
insects which would otherwise do incalculable in
jury to our vegetation, and could not well be de-
stroyed by artificial means. Indeed, We desturb a
natural arrangement when we step in and decimate
a predatory class without also destroying the
victims, and therefore it is gratifying to find
Mr.. Lowe putting check upon amateur sports
men, who bang away, reckless of consequences
either to themselves or Others. little time
ago we agreed to protect our sea-birds, be
cause We found they showed schooling fish,
and warned our seamen from dangerous rocks in
misty weather. This time our legislation is less di-
rect. We have not had select committee on the
sparrow-there are plenty ofchaterers in the House
of Commons who might be :" sat upon'' to adyan-
tage; we have not even anticipated a Ministry of
Agriculture by investigating the OF injury to
growing crops but we have been moved by social
advantages, and the bright-eye- broods of field aud
wood will profit by of security and our de-
sire TO equalize taxation
word on another topic The rating of woods
an6 plantations is threatened 1t is part of the very
question have so hastily touched upon Where
ever farms are very bare of trees, insects always
abound. Thelocust and the grasshoppcr delight in
The PLAIN, whilst the smaller insects thrive in the
Toung woods that give shelter TO their enemies If
We do anything to diminish the planting of'trees,
shall increase insects and also dry already
impoverished soils. Weare protecting salmon-why
should we not protect our woods, and with them
,ur birds and our crops? Dean Stanley notes that
Jewish tradition ascribes to Joshua certain useful
regulations to woods, the grazing of cattle there
n, the cutting of sticks and the preserving ofthnlY-
planted trees. There was wisdom in them all. /
Watch bare and a wooded bill a cloudy day, or
well-wooded arm in dry summer, and you will
ee difference which need not be described. Dis
foresting threatens to become as common in the
as enclosuring was in the sixteenth cen
ury Are we wise to hasten it?
E. GoADBT.