Destruction Of Small Birds Causing Alarm

For several seasons, and particularly the last, tliere was found to bc a scarcity of brcadstuffs iu Franco. Tiiis slate of things caused great ilarm, and ïuemorials were prcsented from soaic of the departraeuts to the Minister of Agriculture, the Legeslative Ch.im.bcr, and the Einperor. An elabórate report has been made ou the subject, in which the destructiou of small birds is charged with being oue of tlic luading causes of deficiënt crops. The destruction of small bird.s has gema on inercasing, and in a correspondiug ratio has also proceedcd the increase of those iuseets and reptiles whieh prey on the crops of grain and all kinds of vegetable food ; and ou these insect tribes the small birds live. To that degree of alarm has the public mind been brought that inquiry and investigatiou havo been instituted, and have demonstra ted the fact that the dostruction of the beautiful feathered songstera may, if conthmed, load to somithing like positive fomine. This document Las been translated and is being circulatod in Eügland, to aid in arresting tho wautou destruction of birds iu that country. It was the subject of a paper retently read beforethe National History Society of Regata, from whieh we cut the followiug : " Although the sparrows levy a small contribution on the farmers grain, yet the fargreater portion of their lood isfrora injurious insects, and tlie whole of the lood thoy givo to their young is from tho tribo ot' iuseets. At the begiuuing of the world man would have succumbed in tho unequal stniggle if God had not givon in the bird n pp werf ui auxiliary - a fiithful ally - who wouderfully accomplishes the task which man is incapable of jérformLug - in fact agaiust his enemies of the insect world man would. bn