THE SMALL BIRD PEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 51, 12 March 1906, Page 2

THE SMALL BIRD PEST.

To the Editor, Sir,— From tho report of the discussion that took place at the recent inugting of the Waimea County Council on the above subject, it would appear that certain' members of that body .assume that the "boroughs of Richmond, Moluekaand Nelson are. doing nothing! to cope with this nuisance, and so Cr. Everett talks aibout "'compelling these bodies to do something/ etc.. It is, of course, not my concern lo answer for Motueka and Nelson ; but I may inform Cr. li.verett that tho Borough of Richmond has always been as fully; alive to the importance of fightins the small bird pest as he or hte Council, can possibly be. Tho Riclsmond Borough Council have done their full share of this work in. proportion to the extent of their district. Poisoned wheat has been; distributed in the winter months and birds' eggs and heads pu*»J. a «^ it _ during tho season. , i nat the results have been unsatisfactory everybody admits. ,lhe scorns to defy all efforts- to rep^ss it, and one can qujile endorse the remark of Cr. !©ijl, '.'That the birds were never so destructive before." They go. tor the, very best of all kinds of fruit, as soon as it approaches ripeness. It seems to me thaLt .we need some more effective measures than those that have hitherto libteen ad- " opted, if such could be"devjsed • some system of trapping or" netting ■ the b rds, for example, t havo conversed with many settlers, who hn.vo expressed the opinion that collecting eggs is very little good • because l,ke hens, thio more^gg^ t& 5"«i A " m ° Poisoned wheat. uTst ■ r " «, W I U not touoh n exteP* tw £. hie weather, when I™* are , "^W hard-up for any- . - wS B e ? e - * have watched tho ...- birds where poisoned wheat has been laldi> and: *avo noticed them Pecli it up an<J reject it again ; they appear to taste the stryctenme vrith which it is poisoned, ana not to like it. I believe if the • wheat was crushed and sweetened m some way it would 'bo. much more effective. Or, better still, '-if the chemist would' take the matter- in hand, aral devise some method of poisoning grain without rendering: it bitter and unpalatable, he Wouldbe a public benefactor. — I am "etc - • S. FITTALL '"