The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1886.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4733, 7 October 1886, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1886.

The small bird nuisance is as acutely felt in other parts of the colony as in this distriot, and, indeed, the Selwyn County Council recently offered a prize of £10 for tha best essay on tho proper dealing with the winged pest. Mr G. A. Keys, of Sheffield (Canterbury) was awarded the prize, and a southern contemporary thus refers to his treatment of the subject:—Mr Keys mentions five methods, all of which he deems to be more or less essential to the succes of any united effort at small bird destruction. These are "the compulsory trimming of live fences, especially gorse or furze, and burning the refuse, thus getting rid of and destroying cover for birds; the destructionof birds by poisoned grain, both wheat and oats; the using of poisoned berries near gardens in more thickly planted and populated centres (in conjunction with grain) ; the purchase of eggs and young birds ; and the use of bird lime where fruit is apt to be injured by birds, and by netting." Of his last-mentioned method Mr Keys says truly, that "gardeners and those who are interested in fruit growing are more immediately affected by it, and that i. applies only where the birds are so well fed that they refuse all prepared food." His third method about using poisoned berries, in addition to grain, applies, he observes, chiefly to those local bodies who have authority •'' in and near towns or large villages, where the birds find the greater part of their food in berries of different kinds." The purchase of eggs and young birds is a method which, Mr Keys thinks, "may be fairly criticised as one that has led to less beneficial results than the local bodies which have adopted it have had a right to expect." Indeed, in his opinion, "it has been abused by both young and old, inasmuch as the higher price paid for young birds—such prices range from two pence to sixpence per dozen heads, as against the one penny to threepence for eggs—has induced the dishonest practice of breaking the eggs that were within a few, or say two days of hatching, then taking the embryo bird out, and selling at the higher rate." To do away with thiß kind of thing, Mr Keys thinks that each local body should keep a Bird Ranger or Inspector: that he should " have the privilege of using his own discretion in deciding whether the young birds have been hatched in due course, and naturally ;' and that " eggs and heads should be paid for at the same rate, say twopence or threepence the dozen—always excepting the fullfledged birds, which, as there is no chance of fraud, should be paid for on a more liberal scale." It is, however, by properly poisoned grain, properly distributed at proper seasons, that Mr Keys expects most execution to be done. The gram, he thinks, "should be so poisoned and treated with some sweetening matter as to make it as near its natural taste as possible, it having been found by tests that many lots of poisoned wheat were of such a brittle nature that the birds left it before taking sufficient to complete their destruction;" and he holds that " all local bodies should be compelled to keep a constant supply on hand for distribution to all applicants above fourteen years of age, free of cost." Then his conviction is, that if gorse and other fences "were kept within proper bounds, the hatching and bringing to maturity of young birds would be reduced 25 per cent, at the lowest estimate, as it would give the birds' natural enemies an advantage they do not now possess; and also byallowing the weather and egg collectors free access to the nests, would materially assist to reduce the pest.'.' Finally. Mr Keys suggests, if he does not expressly mention, the necessity for union amongst local bodies in tho carrying on of well-concerted plans for the abatement of the small birds nuisanco; and ho thinks that to carry out such ii system as ho suggests "a rate should bo struck in any district where tho small birds nuisance is strongly marked, of $d per £, to defray cost of working." Ho thinks, too, that "in nearly all localities tho means thus obtained would be tho purposo, and would "be will'-

ingly submitted to by nearly all sections of a community." We dare.ay Mr Keys is right. At any rate, it might be worth the while of our local governing bodies to give some consideration to hip. plans and suggestions.