Notes on Birds injurious to Agriculture, and on the Benefits also derived from them.By Archibald Hepburn, Esq.
(Continued from p. 309).
Blackbird.—Perhaps I ought to include the dusky merle in this list; for I often remark him feeding on oats in the stackyard, or on those which have been scattered before the dining-room window, when wintry snow-storms howl around. Perhaps the poor birds find such fare better adapted for keeping up their animal heat than the coral berries of the holly which always abound in our garden.
The Titmice. The ox-eye, blue and cole tits, are much given to feed on wheat and oats during winter; but I am well aware that they are, at the same time, on the look-out for insects, larvae and pupae. For hours together I have seen them peering into the sides of beanstacks; upon the leaves and stems of this legume Aphides often swarm to a great extent. Last season they abounded on our oats, and these tiny foes were preyed upon by a flesh-grub, which Mr. White, of the British Museum, assures me belongs to the Dipterous genus Syrphus. Moreover, on the approach of cold weather a multitude of flies (Musci) retire into the sheaves in the fields, and into the sides of stacks. Thus we see that even whilst these useful birds are claiming a few grains of corn as a reward for their summer researches in woods, gardens, and hedge-rows, they are on the look out to destroy our insect pests. The ox-eye and blue tits are very partial to green pease in gardens, but I have not observed them feeding on the field variety, which is much coarser.
The Raven. The primaeval forests which covered the surface of this country, have long since disappeared, and in this neighbourhood we have no traditionary raven's tree. The lordly bird is confined to the range of the Lammermoors, and to the rocky isles lying off the North Berwick coast. They are few in number, and I never heard any complaints of their ravages from shepherd or housewife.
The Hooded Crow only occurs as a rare straggler in our inland parts. When scouring Tyne sands on horseback, I often observe it feeding there. It abounds along our coast from Prestonpans to Gulane point, at least in the autumn. Nobody but the gamekeeper has an ill word to say against this crow; and its name would not have appeared in
