SMALL BIRDS PEST.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13475, 15 July 1909, Page 9

SMALL BIRDS PEST.

IMPORTED OWLS AS A REMEDY.

A WARNING.

The question of the wisdom of mv porting small owls to deal with the small birds nuisance was mentioned by Sir George Clifford at the meeting of the General Committee of the Canterbury A. and P. Association yesterday. Sir George said he thought that further information should be procured before the owls were liberated, for he bad considerable doubts as to the effect of the introduction of the owls not only on the sparrow and other small birds, but on the native birds. It seemed to him that the small owls would commence by preying upon the easiest victims, and he thought that .the farmers had all - a sentimental interest in the preservation of the native birds. The interest Was not altogether of a sentimental nature, for he believed that the native birds were insect feeders, and were doing a oertain amount of good in that way. H* could not help thinking that the existence of the sparrows aa a pest was somewhat due to the v farmers themaelves as far as the application of the poisoned . grain was concerned. Hβ had had to fight the sparrows, as most other farmers had, Inn. up to the present year he had "me* with indifferent success. Last year his oats crop seemed to be entirely destroyed, but this year the crop did not show any such destruction at* all. and be regarded that rceult ac being due to a different method of applying the poisoned grain. He fancied that most farmers applied the poison piecemeal arcund their stables and stackyards, and then thought the method was effective if they saw a number of dead sparrows lying about. This year he had tried the experiment of laying poison over all tfc oats paddocks, and the effect was not only to destroy a very much larger number of sparrows, but to drive them away at a time when they, would otherwise be doing tho greatest amount of damage. The process, however, was ,a costly one. and one which many farmers could not afford the necessary time to carry out, but it eeemed to him if that system were adopted and proved effective, it would be far better than introducing one of those means of destruction which, like tho weasel and stoat, might turn out to be most detrimental in other ways. He thought the association should collect some information as to the way in which small owls had been known to act not only in relation to sparrows but in relation to other bird life.

Mr D. D. Macfirhne said that otrls kppt to the plantations, and so drove the email birds out and kept them avrav from the locality.

The secretary promised to make enquiries on the matter.