Of late, millions of larch plants are annually raised, for sale, in Scotland; and many trees are in gentlemens' grounds, grown to a full size, having been raised before this moment of the value of the wood

being largely known. Of saving seeds, sowing them, and cultivating the trees, Mr. Anderson is full, pleasing, instructive, and satisfactory!

OF THE USEFULNESS OF BIRDS,

IN

DESTROYING INSECTS AND VERMIN COMMONLY INJU. RIOUS TO THE HUSBANDMAN AND GARDENERS.

DR. BARTON'S fragments of the natural history of Pennsylvania, points, with much justice and ingenuity, to the conduct of various birds, although of ill fame, from the early prejudices of youth, against appearances, rather than any actual facts.

Insects and vermin are food to the immense bird tribe to which these insects are in due proportion to the essential wants of birds, as again numerous minuter beings are, with other aids of nature, to those, &c. All nature depends on its own laws for the support of its various subjects.

The attention of European writers to the common well-known fact, observed especially in the rural retreats of contemplative men, of animals preying on animals for their food, is very commendable. And often it has been observed, that whilst the woodpecker, for an instance, is busily engaged on the growing corn in digging with his beak and probing with his barbed tongue for the worm or insect which is equally active in destroying that corn for his own food, the hasty, inconsiderate spectator is outraged with the apprehension that the bird is a destroyer of the corn, when he actually is in the state of defending the corn for himself and the hushandman against the depredations of the insects.

The black bird and the crow are the two most desperate destroyers of the maiz corn; on planting the grains in the crossings, they follow and take up the corn when it is even growing through the ground but when the maiz is ripe, then it is that the crows seem to form their batallions, and pounce upon a whole field at a time, eating and destroying together entire fields; as in one year they served a field of the editor: and so in armies they fly over the the country, till they choose a field to attack, and seemingly with a mighty command, one and all at

once scream aloud, and dash upon the selected corn-field, missing but few ears that are left ungathered by the farmers.

Pidgeons, as well wild as domestic, are charged with being great destroyers of grain. They do indeed eat much of the husbandman's seed corn, yet not so as to materially injure crops. They feed mostly on wild seeds of sour grasses, weeds, &c. But the farmer himself is extremely indiscreet in common, by suffering old breeds of tame pidgeons extending their colonies too largely and overrun all laws of economy.

Poultry also eat much of the farm corn; but the farmer eats both the poultry and the pidgeons, the rabbits, &c.-all to his satisfaction and support. Yet even the house-fly is not grudged his share of the most exquisite pine-apple cheese-nor the purest, most excellent Madeira wine.

"Busy, curious, thirsty fly,

"Drink with me, and drink as I;

"Freely welcome to my cup,

"Could'st thou sip-and sip it up!—"

The grudgings, indeed, of certain selfish people,

would withhold food from animals that in themselves

gratify the luxury of the condemner. Others, more reasonable and thoughtful, know, and are willing to admit that all animal life preys for its subsistance, and lawfully preys, on other beings and subjects, according to the laws of nature: the application whereof, as such, answers other wise purposes. The fish, the bird, the quadruped, all share in the life of their own kind-Yet not so of man; to whom, and some other animals, they are unnatural as food to their own species, and so are withheld and forbidden.

The sweet, cheerful mocking birds are said to be enemies to us in eating our cherries and small fruit. Very little of these I am sure they consume. In paying some attention to them, it has been remarked that they are very particularly fond of spiders: if this be their principal food, together with other insects and worms, the epicure may not grudge him his food; and even of the red-breast, so much more numerous, he robs the fruiter in proportion to their extensive numbers. They are indeed somewhat vexatious in the partiality they shew for the garden grapc-vine, where they much abound, perhaps as much for the spiders, bugs and worms, if not more than for the grapes. But poor things they

A

must live, and we must not grudge a share of our labour for their support; and from whence we acquire pleasing gaiety in the morning in the trees directly at our windows; and then let us give them praise for their destruction of enemies, among worms and bugs, to our garden and field crops. Of all birds about a house, the most vexatious are the water martin; which had better be called the bee bird, as it is for ever snapping up these industrious animals, full loaden as they are returning to their hives. There is no such other enemy to bees.

But Dr. Barton has given so excellent an account of the habits and actions of birds in his fragments of the natural history of Pennsylvania, that a preference is due to it, for our present purposes; and it is referred to as the most satisfactory respecting our present enquiries, as we have it in a European late publication as follows:

"It may in the first place be observed" says Dr. Barton, "that insects appear to be the first food of almost all the birds of our country. The more I have enquired, the more I have been convinced, that almost all birds live, in some measure, upon insects. Even those species which consume consi