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-----,---. 'No. 7.--VEN. ARCHDEACONI…
No. 7.VEN. ARCHDEACON FARRAR, D.D. It is easy enough to define Dr Farrar's plac p in the Church of En, oiid. He is its Adrnireb, -i Crichton. His achievement. indeed, if we tiliiik of their number, m-Lallitildf-?, and variety, are perb,i,ps beyond these ef aiiv livin,, divine, of whatsoever communien. As a preacher he is n^t the equal of the Bishop of Peterborough, whose power over an audience is almost mes- meric nor, either as preacher or as theologian, could he sustain comparison with the late Canon Liddon, whoso oratory, though less magnetic than the Bishop's, was of a peculiarly impressive kind while his theology, whether we agree with it or not, was certainly systematic and thorough. As a scholar, again, the Archdeacon has not the European reputation of either the present or the late Bishop of Durham nor in philosophy does he rank so high as the Archbishop of York or the Bishop of Carlisle. But while each of these emi- nent men is to be regarded as more or less of a specialist, Dr Farra; might say, if only he could bring himself to be boastful, All these things I do." And even this would not be the whole truth, for in addition to the renown he has won in sacred oratory, in theology, in scholarship, in science, he has proved himself a successful school- master in an era of great pedagogues, while his efforts in both pure and applied literature entitle him to a place--if not a very l^fty one-among men of letters. Beyond doubt, then, he is the ,,nit.try of the Church %vhicb, n3ost ver,??atile di- though it may not much relish his schemes for "celibate Brotherhoods and so forth, is proud to claim him as its son. As a preacher, Dr Farrar's style in some respects resembles that of the late Dr Liddon. His sermons, whether in "the Abbey," or in his own hardly less historic church of St. Margaret, within the shadow of the mightier fane, are, as those of Canon Liddon were, delivered from MS., which is closely though not laboriously fol- lowed. There have been those in pulpit history to whom MS. was only an aid, and not at all a tie—who had the power of charming as wisely, of impressing as deeply, while reading every word of their discourses as the most gifted of their order could do when speaking extemporane- ously. So much as this cannot, however, be said of either of these distinguished men. Dr Farrar has the advantage of a fine presence, which sug- ,icy a,nd happy c<)inbiiation of delic. strength. The voice, too—a low baritone— though it has lost somewhat of the mellow music I of earlier days, is an admirable or^an—clear and firm and fairly powerful. But it is mt made the most of. We suspect, indeed, that within its compass are notes which are never used at all. Both in quantity of sound and intonation there is a plentiful lack of variety sentence after sen- tence through a series will often be rendered with precisely the same inflexions. The action, too, is less varied than it might be. The Arch- deacon's favourite posture is to stand quite upright before hi» MS., with one hand resting on the side of the pulpit and when tl',C, i\ bancl so favoured is the left, as is generally the case, the right is frequently clenched to deliver a series of rather inconsequent blows in the air. This is about the only 1-idulgenca in the way of gesture and it does not amount to much. The truth is that the Canon of St. Peter's, like the late Canon of St, Paul's, and in still greater measure, is rather a rhetorician than an orator. His strength as a preacher lies mainly in the strength and richness of his language. Some- thing must of course be allowed for the fervour which finds expression even under such condi- tions as those described. Thfc thought, too, as we need hardly say, is often fresh and striking, and is abundantly illustrated, not infrequently with uncommon felicity. But when this has been said, it still remains true, we think, that it is to his portentous vocabulary that we must,look for the full explanation of his power in the pulpit. It would be easy to name English speakers who have a finer sense of language, who can charm from that noble instrument, their mother- tongue, sweeter melodies and subtler harmonies. But there are few who can produce with it such powerful effects. The range of choice is, if any- thing, too wide, and sometimes the ingenuous hearer is presented with curiosities which are interesting rather than illuminating. Occasion- ally, too, he may almost gasp in his fear lest the preacher's supply of breath should not hold out to the end of the sentence. But, on the whole, it must be said that as a preacher, however, the case may be in another capacity, Dr Farrar is the master, and not the servant, of his language. His longest periods arc scarcely ever complex in structure; and although his sermons contain passages which, if they had to enter the mind througli the eye, would offend as redundant and Iopi)res?sive, it would be ? very fa,?tidious taste that would object to then-, as delivered to the (,tr. Dr Farrar's theology is wide without be- ing shallow. He would not, perhaps, care to pack it into a narrow definition with his love and multiplying words the process could hardly be congenial. Yet we are not, we trust, doing him injustice in speaking of it as Broad Church theology qualified by Evangelicalism. With his capacious and many-sided mind and sympathetic temperament, he has no doubt had many masters but he has been most influenced, pro- bably, by Frederick Denison Maurice, and by Maurice's master, Coleridge. In his teaching he strenuously insists on the "inwardness" of religion as a matter of individual concern, and on the subordinacy of saertinc-iib and polity. So far he is an Evangelical. Yet he at the same tiirie place?- spir xve dogma, nor does he it abL narrow down religion to a single book, or a single day of the week, or a single set of experi- ences, but regards it as inclusive of the whole of life and literature and nature. And to this extent he is to be counted among the Churchmen who are called Broad. A few years ago, too, he was Broad in the sense of being considered, on at least one point, unorthodox. The publication of his "Eternal Hope" sermons, challenging the doc- trine of the everlasting punishment of the wicked, troubled the theological waters for a season, and brought him into controversy with the lato Dr pusey and others. The theory had previously been vehemently assailed by Baldwin Brown and many others outside the Church, not reckoning Unitar- ian divines, whose dislike of it has long been chronic and even inside the Church there had been men such as Maurice, who were sus- pected of being unsound upon the point. But Dr Farrar was about the first of its leaders to direct against it a formal and uncompromising attack. This was not much more than a decade ago, but opinion has drifted a good deal in the interval, and now a man would have to address bimaelf, to something much more fundamental to get even a moderate reputation for heterodoxy. Ecclesiastically, Dr Farrar's taste is for Low Church methods. His is not the order of mind to conclude that it is worth while to appeal to Caesar about vestments and postures and the like, but his own preference is for a simple service. Those who go to St. Margaret's hear no intoning of prayers, and see no assumption of the eastward os, *tion during the recitation of the Creeds. p Dr. Farrar's contributions to literature have been unusually varied, and still more numerous. One of the earlier, if not quite the earliest, was the story of schoolbey life, "Eric," which quickly went through several editions, and still holds its place, sven in the estimation of a gene- ration which judges such works by the standard of Tom Brown's Schooldays," as one of the best boys' books ever written. This was followed by several similar stories. Then came "The Origin of Language, "which proved to be the first of a series of works on philology. Yet when the last of these appeared their author had yet to "find himself." It is conceivable even that he might never have made the discovery at all but for the quite gratuitous aid of a firm of publishers who had long been on the lookout for someone qualified to write a tho- roughly popular Life of Christ, and after con- ducting an abortive negotiation with a bishop who was known to wield a singularly poetical pen, approached Mr Farrar, thon an assistant- master at Harrow, and commissioned him to write the bi>ok, one of the conditions being that he should first visit the Holy Land so as to acquire personal knowledge of the scenes to be described. This was late in 1869; the work appeared in 1874, and immediately took the reading world by storm. Such a demand for a theological work had never been known before, and has never been known since, even in these days of theological novels. In less than two years eighteen editions had been sold, and there has ever since been a steady call for the book. That the work has merits cannot be denied. It is singularly graphic and picturesque, it con- tains many passages of choice beauty, it breathes throughout an atmosphere of tender, reverent feeling it brings out as no orthodox divine, per- haps, had done before—and this it is, probably, that constituted its chief attraction—the simple humanity of the life that wrought out the creed of creeds "beneath the Syrian blue." Yet it must be admitted, on the other hand, that its treatment of critical questions is not conclusive, nor does it generally give an im- jjression of thoroughness, It is not a final life of the founder of Christianity it rather suggests the ideal than realises it. The task is, in truth, the most difficult in the whole range of biography. It may be that many lives of Christ will have to be written, from many different points of view, before the Life of Christ appears. This work was supplemented within a few years by the" Life and Work of St. Paul," and tha "Early Days of Christianity," the whole ground of the origin of Christianity being thus covered. The "St. Paul" was also a I thus covered. Tho" St. Paul" was also a I succeSf., thoûgh it is nothing Jike the sa.me measure as the first of the :eries; the" Early Days" has never ganed \'ery "ide poptlaTity. nr O\vn opinion IS that whIle aUowmg for the 111- ferior interest of the second subject compared with the first, and cf the third compared with the second, the order of literary merit is dis- tinctly indicated by the success achieved. Dr. Farrar's style has not improved since his ears were saluted by a chorus of laudation in 1874. The tendency to garishness of colour, to exuber- ance of verbiage which besets most men of vivid imagination and unusual command of language in the early days of their authorship, but sut of which they generally grow, has in Dr Farrar's case been encouraged rather than checked, and must tell seriously against his prospects of taking a permanent place in literature. It is a recent boast of his that he has never learnt anything from the critics. We can quite believe it but -le we c,nnDt coiigratulftte I)lnl upon tb fact. Critics may be a graceless crew, and they hav, a good deal to answer for. But they are sometimes right and it is net generally upon questions of style that they go wr-.vng. Few writers owe more to them than the man whose" Life of Christ" received and it is its first impetus from a Ti7nes review, I, hardly gr,%ci.!?iis of him in the !aye of his greaz- ness to flout them. However, he can well afford to take a lofty tone, with his canonry and archdeaconry, his rectorship of St. Margaret's, his chaplaincy of the House of Commons, and we know not what besides. With such mercies as these—not to speak of other things—to revel i ii, one might despise a deanery and be indifferent to a bishopric. Of Dr Farrar's later works there is-no space to speak. Nor is there opportunity to tell of his distinguished career at Cambridge, of the marks of honour he has since received from both the ancient universities as well as from other learned bodies, or of his work as a schoolmaster at Harrow and at Marlborough. Of the latter school he was appointed headmaster in 1871, and held the post until in 1876 he was called to St. Margaret's and one of the Westminster canonries. j He has now been for seven years Archdeacon of Westernnster but he is still popularly known as Canon Farrar, and the lower title will always come the more readily of the two to the lips of those who can recall the earlier part of his theolo- gical career. The Subject of the next Article will be The REV. MARK GUY PEARCE. -m_
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A LEGAL CATECHISM.—" William, look up tell us who made you, William. Do you know ?" William, who was consid?red a f .ol, screwing his face, and looking thoughtful and somewhat bewildered, slowly answered.— Moses, I s'pese." That will do. Now," said Counsellor Gray, addressiii, the. court, tile witn,,ss s?ays he s'pos,s Aloses 1-nacle him. Thig cer?ainly is an intelligent answor--more so than I supposed ?irn caloable of giving, for it shows he has some faint But I submit may it pleaso idea of Scripture. the court, that this is n-.?t sufficient io justify his being sworn as a witness in this case. No, sir it is not such an answer as a witness qualified to testify should." "Mr Judge," said the fooL may I ask thw lawyer a question ?" "Certainly, replied the judge ask him any question you please." "Wall, then, Mr Lawyer, who do you s'pose made you ?" Aaron, I s'pose," said the counsellor, imitating the witness. After the mirtn had somewhat subsided, the witness exclaimed, I -Wall now, we do read in the pood book that Aaron once made a calf but who'd a thought the tarnal critter had got in here ?" Tho poor coun- I sellor was laughv-d down. SWEEPING COMPLIMENTS.— Georgiana: And, Flora, I forgot to tell you, last mght Harry Davenport said you had "the fatal gift of beauty." Flora Oh, Georgiana, did he ? .Geor- fiana Yes, I told him^U -W^^jeaog^OiIStaied y cosmetics*
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-Æ.> WORKMEN'S TOPICS. BY MABON, M.P. EM PLOYER^LI ABILITY. The Act to be Amended. The Government have once more broken their pledge to the masses with regard to he Employers' Liability Act and the amend- ments necessary therein to protect their interests, while it has taken good care to again endeavour to protect the interests of the classes by pushing forward the Irish Land Purchase Act and the Tithes Bill. But where the Government's indifference has left us unprotected, Messrs Burt, Bradlaugh,and others are going to try and make up for the difference—Mr Bradlaugh proposes to amend that portion erf the present act where the theory of common employment interferes with the rights of a workman to compensa- tion from his employer, and Mr Burt pro- poses to amend several parts of the measure, especially the clauses that permit cont ract- ing out of the bill. CHANGES IN THE LAW. The change in thelaw which was wrought by the Act of 1880 has been very clearly and concisely stated in the case of Webling v. Ballard, argued before Mr Justice Mathew on the 16th of March, 1886. The judgment of the court, which was delivered on the 22nd of the same month by Mr Justiee Smith, so fully reported in the Law Reports, vol. 17, Queen's Bench Division, page 122, and stated shortly, is to the following- effect :—Prior to the Act of 1880 a servant might have sought redress from his master for personal injuries, subject to any defence the master might put up in the following cases :— (1) For injuries sustained by the servant by reason of the negligence of the master himself. (2) For injuries sustained by the servant by reason of the negligence of a fellow- servant acting within the scope of the master's employment." (3.) For injuries sustained by the servant by reason of his master having provided de- fective or dangerous implements, material, or plant. Against these causes of action it was open for the master to defend himself (a) by denying the negligence, (b) by proving con- tributory negligence on the part of the Kervont. These two defences he possessed independently of the relationship of master and servant. THE MASTER'S DEFENCE. The master had, in addition to the above- mentioned defences, two others arising from the relative position of master and servant, and peculiar thereto. These defences con- sisted of implied terms in the contract of service itself, and were as follows :— 1. That in malting the contract of service the servant impliedly, from the very nature of the contract, contracted to take upon himself the known risks attendant upon his employment. Thus, where plant or machi- nery was in obviously dangerous condition at the time of making the contract of service, or became so subsequently without remonstrance on the part of the servant of a kind sufficient to negative the theory of his acquiscence in the danger, the law con- sidered the danger itself to be an element in the contract, and that by entering into it the servant wittingly took all risk upon himself. It did not, therefore, permit him to obtain redress from his employer in case of injury. 2. That in making the contract of service the servant impliedly contracted likewise to take upon himself, as one of the obvious risks of any trade, all risk. arising from the negligence of his fellow servants-m. other words, human nature being necessarily im- perfect, a servant entering into a contract of service must in fact be considered to have contemplated and included as an element in the contract the possibility of a personal injury from the negligence of others in the same service, and so, providing his employer took all reasonable care to select competent fellow-servants, to have precluded himself from seeking legal redress in case of per- Ronal inj ury, the master himself as a sufficient answer to anv such claim. This is what is called the defence of common employment. THE EFFECT OF THE ACT OF 1880. The effect of the Employers Liability Act of 1880 is that, whenever an action is brought by a servant against his employer, the two defences arising out of the special relationship of master and servant are abolished, and the workman is placed on the same footing as a stranger, or as if he had not been a workman, nor enr/ar/ed in his employer's service. However, he is ao-ain left with these two obstacles to prevent him obtaining compensation in case of an injury denial of the negligence on the part of the employer, and contributory negligence on the part of the woi"».maii him- self—and it is these two points that Mr Bradlaugh seeks to remedy by his notice of motion. i „ In addition to this what is severely tclt in several trades at present is, and what several working members of the House of Commons are endeavouring to accomplish, the extension of the act to servants of sub-contractors. r, c The present legal position or a servant or an independent contractor injured by neg- ligence, in reference to wages, work, or plant of the principal employer or person upon whose premises he is working, is as follows — Being there upon lawfu. business there is a duty placed upon the principal employer wherever there is danger of an unusual nature known to him, but which the servant is not aware of, either to avert it or to inform such servant of it. If the injury occurred in consequence of a breach of his duty, the principal employer would be guilty, but not otherwise, Now what is wanted is that such a servant should be permitted to sue in the county-court under the provisions of the Employers' Liability Act, whether or not his claim exceeds £50, to make the principal employer prhna facic liable for all defect arising from negligence, m the ways, works, or plant, whether the sub-contractor and servant could have avoided the injury by "exercise of due care," or not, and to take away from the principal employer the defence that such servant was aware of the danger. Fair play to Lord Brassey and committee, they did recommend that the liability of'the employer should be extended to others besides persons wholly engaged in superintendence." If that recommenda- tion were carried cut it would enormously increase the scope of the act. At present no action can be brought for the negligence of a fellow-workman unless such fellow-work- man is one whose sole duty is inspection or superintendence, and who is not ordinarily engaged in manual labour—in other words, a competent foreman. But should this inroad upon the doctrine of coitimon em- ployment be acceded* to, the master's lia- bility would be extended to the act of everyone in his employment who has super- intendence entrusted to him, and while in the exercise of that superintendence and practically the effect of such a change would make the employer liable for the negl'gencs of every man who would be placed in a position of trust and supervision over other men, and would naturally be the means of preventing incompetent men being placed in such positions. Messrs Burt, Broadlrarst, and others again propose to tackle the most important point iealt with in my previous letter. They in- tend remedying the clause that niakes it possible for employers and workmen to con- tract themselves out of the act- This, as it will be remembered, was the rock upon wI ich the Government's bill was wreofeed two years ago. OTHER POINTS. In addition to this there are also several other points in the present act that need amending, notably the rule as regards notice. There is no reason why notice should be given within six week i'II! l' Ito.l -1. k:- Î of the acciderit of the intention to tal?e proceedin_gs uh tti lb ?is, det the eL quite possible that -t int,ii ii-iay be incapable of giving the full pal,tictil?,irs of the acei(lent?? that caused his injury within that time, and it is ridiculous that any person should lose his right to compensation on that account. The necessity of the employer to possess minute knowledge of the state of the facts nt the time of the accident is no excuse for such., an absurdity. Employers at present must know the details in such cases for other purposes. And it is only reasonable that the time of giving such notice should be considerably extended, and,indeed, there is very little reason why it should be given at all more than under the common law. Then there are other points, such as the increase in the limit of damages necessary in serious cases the extension of the act to all persons under a contract of service, and the right of appeal where decisions are given against the weight of evidence, and that should be attended to. But beyond all things, what is really necessary is to minimise the dangers to life and limb, and at the same time increase the comforts of working men when following their daily avocations.
Musical and Eisteddvod Notes.…
Musical and Eisteddvod Notes. BY MAELGWYN. THE NATIONAL EISTEDDVOD. The programme for the Swansea National Eisteddvod has certainly been improved by the interference, as some people term it, of the National Eisteddvod Association. It is strange that the Swansea. Committee, which in most things have shown- splendid business capacity, combined with practical knowledge of eisteddvod requirements, should have forgotten to include a few competitions in sight-singing and theory in their programme. Very properly the National Eisteddvod Association stepped in, and included one of the subjects which the committee had passed over. Well done, National Eisteddvod Association Useful work like this is always ap- preciated by all who wish to see the eistedd- vod continued as a great educational insti- tution. It has several times been pointed cut in this column that the good work set on foot by one local committee is generally ignored by the gentlemen who have the control of the National Eisteddvod in the following year. Thus one year's programme will contain sight singing, sight playing, and theory competitions, but the next year all three subjects are totally ignored. All this plainly demonstrates the need that exists for such a society as the National Eisteddvod Association, and I sincerely trust it will long continue to direct local committees in the right way. We have reached a stage when competitions of the kind specified above should be included in the programme of every National Eisteddvod. It has been decided that Dr. Parry's Emmanuel and Gounod's Redemption shall be the two oratorios to be performed at the evening concerts held in connection with the National Eisteddvod at Swansea. Soloists, choir, and orchestra have their work cut out for them. In referring to one cf the subjects set for com- petition at the Swansea Eisteddvod, Mr Emlyn Evans gives the following timely warning in the December number of the Cerddor .-—"Y beirniaid appwyntiedig gan G-ymdeithas vr Eisteddvod Genedlaethol ar y Canigau yn Abertawe ydynt, Mr John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia), Mr Emlyn Evans, and Mr J. H. Roberts, Mus. Bac. (Pen- cerdd Gwynedd). Covied y cystadleuwyr Ulai canigau sydd eisieu, ac nid Rhanganauna chyd- ganau. MISS MAGfHE DAVIES. Miss M. Davies is rapidly becoming as popular with London and English provincial audiences as she is with the people of her native land. After taking the principal soprano parts in a number of oratories—always with the same success—she sang a few days ago at the first concert offl the season given by the Royal Amateur Orchestral Society. The concert was held in St James's- hall, in the presence of a large and brilliant assembly. Miss Davies and the other vocalist, Miss Sarah Berry (an excellent contralto at the Royal College of Music), sang selections from foreign operas, and were most enthusiastically applauded. Later in the week Miss Davies sang at Merthyr, taking the leading character in Esther, the Beautiful Queen, of which two per- formances were given. SHORT NOTICES. Considerable disgust has been expressed on all hands at the attempts made by certain unpatriotic people to ruin the prospects of the Swansea, Eisteddvod. Two important eisteddvodau are announced to be held in North Wales at the same time as the nrtional festival will be celebrated, and worse than all, Clwydvardd and other fore- most bards have lent their aid to the illiberal and unpatriotic movement. But fortunately the promoters of the rival eisteddvodau aro now quarrel ling themselves, and as neither side seems inclined to give way, a great deal of bitter- ness has been infused into the contest. The Merionetshire Chair Eisteddvod is announced to be held in the Public-rooms at Dolgelly on New Year's Day. In the chief choral competition JBM will be given for the best rendering of "Then round about the starry Throne" and "When winds breathe soft." In the brass band competition £ 15 will be given for the best performance of Henry Round's "Forest Queen," and there will also be string quartett and violin duet competitions. In tho male voice choral competition the prino is L8, and the subject, Wo are the Young Musicians (Gwilym Gwent), with Welsh or English words. A prize cf £1 will be given for the best per- formance of any solo on any orchestral instru- ment. A large number of local choirs are at present engaged in rehearsing the pieces set for competi- tion at the various eisteddfodau, to be held on Christmas and Boxing Day. The Neath Eistedd- vod, naturally enough, continues to engross the greatest amount of attention. The Aberdave Choral Society have decided to change the old order of things at Christmas. Until now they were wont to give two miscella- neous and two oratorio concerts-one of each kind on Christmas Day, and the same thing ell St Stephen's Day. This year, however, miscel- laneous concerts will be dispensed with, and two oratorios will occupy the programme. There are Judas Maccabwus and Elijah. The Dowiais Choral Society having decided to compete for the £ 1,000 prize at the Neath Eistedd- vodd, commenced the rehearsal of the test piece All men, all things last week. A very lar«e number of members were present, and the belief seems to be pretty general that the choir will make a stubborn fight for the prize. Mr Frederic H. Cowen, the famed composer of the 11 Children's Home and conductor of the London Philharmonic Society, has been selected as adjudicator at the great musical eisteddvod to be held at Aberdare on Whit-Monday.
---""i_-----THE ADVANTAGE…
""i_ THE ADVANTAGE OF FACIAL EXTENSIVENESS. JOE MFLLICK (after the cave-in): Th' byes may not be along fer an hour, Tim, an' we may's well tck it aisy. Me pipe wint out in th' gravel. Hov yez a light?" TIM CROTCH hov."
øVlírtl'li"'-'JI.li'ii.:T1TJ-h....'v----.---I[ALL…
øVlírtl'li" 'JI.li'ii.:T1TJ -h v I [ALL nIGHTS RESERVED.] I PRINCES AMONG PREACHERS. VEN. ARCHDEACON FARRR, D.D. (From a photograph by Russell and Sons, 17, Baker Strut, W.)
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WELSH GLEANINGS. -O- — By Lloffwr. Some time since there appeared in this column a doggerel which the colliers are j in the habit of singing on St. Mabon's Day. This has inspired Mr T. Durouwv T to immortalise himself. P a few verses upn*- Day. or.. str.etl^ spe-*»' •; s. • ;izas ViV. now • in • a tor&ntOo: i". siifeh by i'.ov. \l. Mon Iw&n.-i. jii by Mi W. v\" .v • >' .ics, J" :,11, -ac nrst few lines ibar- 1'1, mortal remains or the dry vi. the ancient saints of Wales are disturbed but once a year, but the universal singing of the proposed national song of Daranwy's will rattle St. Mabon's once a month. Like Hamlet's father's ghost, Daronwy's spirit will a tale unfold to future generations. Whether our noble St. Mabon would care to have his quiet and reverential carcase rustled by the carols or the voices of patriots of a century hence is a question too important for me to answer or even ven- ture to reply. However, I know this, that for years past no one has worked harder than Mabon, and he cannot rest when he is alive, surely he ought to have repose when he is dead. The first stanza runs thus. An old and saertd custom It is kr aught I know For Wales to hold in reverence Its saints of long ago; But only once in twelve months We e'er disturb their rest, Whilst he the great St. Mabon Each month is highly blest. Chorus—For good St. Mabon may All shout a loud Hurrah," The Collier's day of glory Is good St. Mabon's Day. Another verse in the vernacular is as fol- lolvs 'Nol g-weithio mis yn gyfau Yn nghrombil glofa ddofn, Yn mhell o ol,,ti'r huan Bob eiliad yn ein liofn, Mor hyfryd yw cael haimndden Yn nghwmni'r wraig a'r plant I dreulio orig lawen Ar dydd gwyl Mabon Sant. Cydgan-Hwre i Mabon Sant Fo'n llifo dros hob mant, Dydd uchel wyl y glowyr Yw dydd gwyl Mabon Sant. In the death of the Rev Henry Richards (Grlanareth), the Welsh Baptists have lost one of the most promising of the younger generation of ministers. For the past two years ill-health had prevented his performing any public duties, but while he was able to work he always put his best into what he did. From early youth he had distinguished himself as a bard, and on more than one occasion ran some of the veterans of the National Eisteddvod very close for the coveted honour of the chair. Like most of the men who have wielded in the Noncon- formist pulpit the power which the State- supported clergy ignored and the gentry derided, Glanareth was essentially a man of the people, one who had pursued know- ledge under difficulties, and who, had long life been granted him, would have added another name tc the roll of self-made Welsh- men. Attention is being called to the position of the Welsh language at our University Colleges-.—A Welsh correspondent com- plains in the London Dailif Netcs that, though a Welsh chair is now established at the three Welsh Universities, the study of Welsh does not receive due attention. He attributes this to the dominant influence of the London University examinations. The stipend paid to the professor of Welsh at Bangor is described as miserable. In excuse it has been urged that he has few to teach; but the attendance is stated to be increasing every term. Welsh grammars and text books are appa- rently very unsatisfactory. It is remark- able that the philological Germans seem to take more interest in Welsh than the Welsh themselves. Hence the practice among Welsh scholars of publishing editions of Welsh texts in Germany. Funds appear to be wanting for the support of the study of Welsh at home. As the authorities ~f the University College of North Wales are about to distribute the funds secured for them by the munificent donation of the late Dr Evan Thomas, of Manchester, this cor- respondent suggests that they should do something tangible for the Welsh chair at Bangor. And the Welsh correspondent is quite right. In this connection some interest will attach to the assertion of the Hon. W. N. Bruce at a meeting of the Cardiff Joint Education Committee on Tuesday. Lord Aberdare's son, who is an assistant, Charity Commissioner, said that some of the best teachers in Wales were opposed to the in- troduction of the Welsh language into the intermediate schools. Now, a general charge of this kind is of little value. Will Mr Bruce give us the names of these "best teachers ?" I feel satisfied that he is labour- ing under a misapprehension. As a matter of fact some of the teachers to whom he refers are members of the Welsh Utilization Society, and objected not I to the introduction of but to its introduction under unfavourable cir- cumstances, or they must have misunder- stood the drift of Mr Bruce's question and the construction he would place upon their replies. However, I can promise Mr Bruce that the matter will not rest where he has now left it. The Intermediate Education Act specially provides for the. teaching of Welsh in the new schools the feeling of the country is in its favour and it is now well known that the leading educationists of the day, including the principals and the most prominent members of the staff of our three University Colleges, with members of the staff of St. David's College, Lampeter, and every denominational college in NV.,iles, strongly approve of the proposal to teach Welsh systematically in our schools. I trust, for his own sake, Mr Bruce will not let the public labour under the.-impression that he is opposed to it. I The parish of Bodverin, South'Carnarvon- shire, is, to say the least, a most remarkable one. It has no trees, n° chapel, no~<Ioctcr, no lawyer, no church, no parson, no public-house, nor a gentleman within its boundaries and it khat the in- habitants live longer and are more Christian than those of any other parish. Happy Bodverin The following caricature, whieiwappears in the Detroit Free Press, is not, after all, so very much more absurd than some English opinions and knowledge of Wales? The funny man of tlie Detmit Free Press has been at it again, aS seen from the following clipping r Those who make their living by accommo- dating the public would take spipe pains to please their ciistoniers; Yet gbhie Lon-cloi-i li<,rlng- -ere is tii people are N,ery disob'. fF instance. The other day I was( qoi -ii4c, alo-?l,-r the north side of L?iticol-o's -4!in Fields-, when, in the window of a real estate dealer's office, I saw the sign WELSH Mou>TTAtN"s FOR SÀLE." Now I am rather fond of Walsh things— Welsh rarebits and Welsh Vafatton, and similar articles-so I wenfc in. "What is the cost of a good reliable Welsil mountain ?" I said to the man in charge. "I -d, de -rilat,l 11, ,swer, Pelids on the size of the 1-nountain Y<)u Clegire.?,z- Oh, I saicl I I I only wish ? a? -ordinary mountaiii, not !5 high as Snoi?'&4,4. I sup- ?,437 POse Snowdon is not f- si I( No he replied that vi?s bought by r Edward Waikin- We have.Welsh raoun- ta,lls at all prices-fr'olm :02,000 upward- Could a person get," I asked, a reuon- ,&bly satisfae a;bo Z8,000 ?" t,y NVelrli mountain -for nt 'c4-0b, thou. I Wd. will?,you 1.ILA1I' ¿f r deliver one at 310, Strand, the very first thing to-iilorroiv iiioimin(y ? Now -%voiild it be belie'ecl that lie refused to do this ? He ,;aid they didn't del'N,er n-iountai7is in Lo?-idon. I told hii-n that wiiezi i person E-otiolit a thing i!l LoiiO, on the roui-id it to the office or the ho?, I;ari't iiiatter lie re- T" "you can keep your :4.L ':f\ ¡ l'
Current Notes on L
Current Notes on L By a Practical Farmei-. ARE GOOD LANDLORDS GENEROUS? I do not,grudge Welsh Nonconformists securing the second place on the Liberal programme with the question of Welsh disestablishment, but I would again insist that what is required as much as that is a drastic measure of land reform. How- ever much needed it may be at the present moment, yet it is encouraging to think that bv waiting a little longer the legislature will deal more effectually with this matter, from the fact that Parliament is becoming every year more representative of the masses instead of classes. In pasttimes the land laws have been framed by a one-sided partv-tlic lond-owiiiig class the other party, the tenants, whose interest is vital in this question, from the absence of any due representn, tion at St Stephen's, have been at all times tabooed from having a voice in framing these laws. This being the case, the framers of these taking care of number one, past legislation has naturally resulted in the prasent land laws, which are one- sided and dishonest. Some of our landlords, seeing the dishc nesty of these laws on many points, cannot conscientiously act in their spirit. For instance, this law allows the landlord to con- fiscate the improvements madro upon a holding by the tenant, but this dishonesty, thougrh legalised, I am glad to say, some of our landlords cannot countenance. For such improvements they allow their tenants to make the best they can out of them. On some estates, for instance, the tenants are allowed to sell their improvements to the incoming tenant. On one such a friend of mine paid B600 to the old tenant, not for any fixtures, &c., but simply for im- provements made on the holding, such as draining, hedging, &c. It must also be remembered that in the particular instance to which I refer, the tenancy was, and is now, simply a yearly tenancy. Unfortunately, this class of landlords is scarce. We call them generous and liberal, but that is an erroneous description. They are. no doubt, generous men, but such actions do not entitle them to be called generous unless it is generous on your part to refrain from robbing a fellow man when you get the opportunity of doing so without tho risk of being called to account for the robbery. They are simply honourable and just men, who cannot countenance anything- but what is just between man and man. The other class of landlords, who aro more abun- u 'ant ?l i n, do uot ;-iiake iiiiie' ado about tpj)ropriztt' everything sanctioned by law. The tenants are simply slaves, existing for the sole benefit of the landlord, or at least so these landlords seem to think and when any reference is made bv any public man about the redemption of the land, there is quite a flutter amongst them. These are the persons who have in the past been repre- senting the tenant farmer in Parliament. I should have said misrepresenting them, as they care very little about any class interest besides their own. We have been in the past very short-sighted in this respect Let us in future chocse men to represent us who will aim at doing some good to those they profess to represent
---------THE GROUND GAME ACT.
THE GROUND GAME ACT. In this column of last week's issue there ap- peared an account of a farmer being fined three or four pounds for neglecting to procure a. gun license. This is another instance illustrating the unfairness of our present laws alTejjtmg the farmers. What other handicraft or business has its implements taxed ? What is a gun in the farmer's hands but an implement for doing abso- lutely necessary work ? It would be equal justice to tax the butcher for using the poleaxe i as to tax the farmer for using his g'un on his holding to kill a rabbit. The professed friends of a tenant farmer when passing the Ground Game Act of 1880 saw this injustice, but these friends, rather than the farmer, should have, as before, unrestricted right, without license, to kill rabbits, elevated bunny from beinfir vermin into game. Through this elevation to nobility of Miss Bunny, the farmer was to be taxed if he used a certain implement to kill her. The Ground Game Act of 1880 was professedly passed to benefit farmers. Let us see how it improves the position of the farmer with respect to the ground game. Before the passing of this act the right to kdl hares and rabbits was solely vested in the tenant, in the absence of a written agreement. Since the passing of the Ground Game Act, the tenant has only a concur- rent right to the ground game with any person authorised by the landlord. This right lie may avail himself of by the absence of an unwritten agreement to the contrary. Thus, through the passing of this act, the tenant has lost a part of his prior rights. Before the passing of this act, the tenant was entitled, under tho 11 and 12 Vie., cap. 29, and the 23 and 24 Vic., cap., 91, to kill the foregoing animals at any time without an excise license. Now the- tenant farmer, before he can shoot both or either on his own holding, is obliged to take out a 10s gun license. This license is worthless for him to use for shoot- ing hares other than on his own holding, or at the request of some other farmer. If he should use the gun for sport, it is necessary for him to have a £ 2 game certificate before he can legally shoot a hare. But this a tenant farmer cannot well com- ¡ plain about, as he has but very little time to spare, and none for this purpose. What they do complain about is, after paying 10s for a gun license to shoot a hare, he must pay £ 2 for a game license before he can legally sell the hare lie has killed, unless he takes it to the gamedeEder. This gentleman having a monopoly, especially in rural districts where the profession is but sparse!}' represented, pays his own price. The farmer should have unrestricted right to kill ground game—that is, haros and rabbits—without being obliged tc have a gun license, at least on his own holding,and also freedom fco-sel! in the open market both rabbits and hares without being under the necessity of having a game dealer's license. GOVERNMENT AND THE TITHE BILL. j The Mark Lane Express asks: "Does the Cabinet shape the Parliamentary session, or is its character governed by the guerillas of the Opposition ? This is a question which in the next few weeks we shall have had decided. There is no doubt now that the Cabinet has formally registered the determination^ to carry both the Land Purchase Bill and the Tithes Bill before Christmas to the stage of progress which they had reached at the time they were dropped. In other words, both bills will have to be not only read a second time, but put into committee. This resolve is magnificent; what are the pros- pects of its realisation ? The Land Purchase Bill will be to an extent dependent on the con- ciliatory attitude of Mr Parnell. There was a wealth of meaning in Burleigh's nod; the Government attach the greatest importance to the last brief speech which Mr Parnell delivered in the last session. Ministers believe it spelt conciliation. The Tithes Bill will depend on two things whether it is almost innocuous in character and on tho temper of the Welshmen." I Earm Questions in Parliament. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. Mr CHAPLIN (President of the Board of Agri- culture), in answer to Mr Cobb, said agricultural education was represented at present by a number of different authorities, and it was impossible, under these circumstances, to formulate a scheme for its development. He hoped to make a proposal for an addition to the present grant of £ 5,000 which was devoted to agricultural 1 education. He did not contemplate the establish. ment of a central normal school of agriculture—at all events, at present. FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. Mr CHAPLLI; in answer to Mr Chas. Darling Board of Agriculture received stated that the notification from the Government of the Nether- ? Ilth November la-st, that the cattle lands on the there were free from foot and mouth disea6e. The disease, however, was at present prevalent in Bel? 'ura, near to the frontier, and he was advised that sufficient time had not yet elapsed since the receipt of the notification frora the ,,Dutch Government to just-ift the re3noval of the IL'IL.It'in tile--portation of animalg-from. I n or -Netberlnn,4-
- ililliIIIIi!-T !FARM AND…
ililliIIIIi! T FARM AND FIELD. Ornithology in Relation to Agriculture and Horticulture. No. 5.-THE ROOK. BY 0. V. Arnx. (Mtnibrr of ike British Ornitb-otyixts' Union.) [ALl, RIGHTS RESERVED,] 1-, as innumerable numbers of rooks, <lo daily breed and increase rooks, crows, and I "onsume a wonder- 'f corn and in the ¡ <-11(' rip. that a Ill" -n.- < covertures ot to i 'use. cru. V'CK>. 3t,(. J and such like; (2) s, and choughs should be sui,. tinue. as they have been in Cé, tiny will undoubtedly be the causes- destruction and consumption of a. great p the corn and grain which hereafter shall be sow i, 't throughout this realm, to the great prejudice. damage, and undoing of the great number of all the tillers, husbands, and sowers of tlr earth within the same." I So runs the preamble to an Act of Parliament passed in the 24th year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth (1532). And for remedy of this state of things it was enacted that every occupier of land, as well spiritual as tempcral," should do whtt he could to destroy those birds, upon pain of a "grievous amerciament." Also that every parish should provide a net to take crows, rooks, and choughs, with all things requisite to the same, and maintain the same for the next ten years. The net was with and after a shrap made with chaff and other things meet for the purpose," to be laid at such times of th year as were convenient for destruction of the birds, and in such places as should be thought ex- pedient. Any man, with license of the 0wnerof the ground, might take crows and rooks, and was to be paid after the rate of twopence per dozen. The clause relating to the crow-net only was revived in the reign of Elizabeth, but it was not until the year 1856 that the Act, though long obsolete, was finally repealed. Yarrell says that in Scotland legal persecution Vegan in H24-, and another Act in 14-57 forfeited to the Crown all trees whereon rooks were suffered to build their nests, should the nests be allowed to remain until Beltane (May Day). The "crow-net ".is figuredLy Willoughby in his Ornithology," and Bishop Stanley tells us of an entry in the I)reseiiiinelits conQ(,ria;ii: 1 AlGlorley in Cheshire in 1598, Wo find that there is n? crow- nett in the parish." Shrap, or shrape, appears to have been a piece of ground scraped or swept, perhaps where the snow had been swept away in hard weather. We have shrapen in Middle English for scrap, and in Webster's dictionary we find "Shrap, shrape= a place baited with chaff to invite birds." Ever since those days wars of extermination I have been periodically waged upon the rooks. And at times the destruction wrought, not only among them but on many other birds, must have been enormous, until in 1863 an Act was most wisely passed imposing a penalty of B10 upon anyone laying or sowing poisoned grain or seed. Since that time the rooks have had an easier time of it. But everywhere in the present century a kindlier feeling towards the rooks has generally grown up. Here and there a man was found to allow that they did some good, and at last one perhaps more observant than his fellows, and of independent opinion, was found to declare that they did more good than harm He, poor fellow, musthaveha.d. a bad time of it at first among his agricultural friends and neighbours. Now, it is pleasant to think this is the opinion of many, if not most, agriculturists. Most of them, that is ts say, who do not happen to live in a district where the rook is exceptionally and perhaps unduly abundant, and where the proportion of pasture land is small. I do not know whether it is that Scotland is re- markably prolific of rooks or insufficiently pro- ductive of the rook's natural food, but certain it is that there the rook wars have broken out most fiercely and most frequently. At all events practical men will now, if not aver that the balance is in favour of the rook, at least allow that the balance is very nicely poised. Let us try and examine the evidence, and see on which side it will go down. It will be best first to consider the mischief the rooks can do, and then the good. Rooks damage, or are alleged to damage, the crops in the following ways :— They dig up, and ea.t, the corn as soon as it is planted, arr l until it is sprouted well above the ground. They eat, and knock down, the corn when it is nearly or quite ripe. And it is ak-u said that in some places they damage it soon after it has come into ear. Crops rf peas are also damaged I by them. They dir up and eat potatoes, both the "Fet- tine's in spring and the ripe tubers in autumn. They peck holes in turnips in winter. They pull the c M-a straws, with ears attached, out of the ricks in winter, and occasionally do som° damage by destroying the thatch of ricks, an-3 letting in the weather. Besides this damage to crops, ror-bs steal the oggs of partridges and ther bircis. This is a serious indictment. There may also be some minor charges to be met, but the five cnumemted first are, and have for Years been, almost universally brought against the rooks, and they are mainly the cause of the intermittent war which has for many generations been waged against their race. It will be well, therefore, to consider these five charges in detail. To take the first. There is no doubt that newly- drilled corn, until it has grown well above the surface of the ground, must be carefully watched, and the best means must be taken to frighten and drive away the rooks during the critical time. But that this corn is not the food which the. rook would choose to a large extent is easily shown. Almost any agriculturist will tell the enquirer that autumn-sown corn requires but little watch- ing, and is very little troubled by the rooks. Why ? The reason is plain. In autumn ether n od is plentiful. Grubs, worms, and insects still abound, and are f^nnd near the surface if the ground, both in the stubbles as well as in the th4z? ricl, aftei?n-iitii grass. pl,o,jo It is the spring-sown corn which suffers. Early spring is always a trying time for birds. Most of the old food has been eatai up during the winter, the insects have not yet come forth, and no new food has been produced. No wonder, then, that j the temptations of a newly-drilled field is too much for the rooks. It is doubtful whether they can now do anything approaching tho same amount of damage as they did in the pre-drillmg days. Now-a-rL'tys, although they can dig down to the corn—and the little cone-shaped holes made by the birds' beaks can everywhere be seen in a field harried by rooks — yet, this digging must take time. In further proof of the fact that it is necessity in a great measure which drives the rooks to the spring corn, it is most noteworthy to observe that it is only in very dry, bitterly cold spring weather that the rooks become unbearably troubleiome in this respect. And it is rather unfortunate that this same severity of the season which makes the unbroken ground too hard for the rook's bill, and drives the worms far below the surface, has also the effect of drying and pulverizing the soil on the newly-drilled lands, and of rendering the seed corn peculiarly acces- sible to the rook's bill. Let a change in the weather, accompanied by soft, warm, growing showers, ensue, and it will soon be seen that a large number of the birds which had persistently evaded the efforts of the crow-keeper will neglect the grain for the worms and grubs now teeming to the surface. Newly-planted beans are also liable to the attacks of the rooks. There is an old country I saying- Sow four beans as you make your row, One to rot, and one to grow, One for the pigeon, and one for the crow." But the damage done in this respect is probably not very serious; that is to say, it is probably very seldom that a crop of. beans at harvest is much lighter than it would have been-had the rooks.let the field-alone in seed-time. Now that parents are obliged to 'keep their boys at echool until they are twelve years old, aud store their heads at the cxpease of their bodies, instead of letting them earn the few shillings which would bring in such a welcome addition to the weekly food supply in many large families, it is very difficult to get a boy for crow keeping. Yet 'crow-keepers, with their horn and" clap- pers," are perhaps the best means of protecting the uewly-scwn fields. Rooks soon get accus- tomed to the mechanical wind-turned clappers. If the crr.w-keeper is armed with pistol and powder, someone should go up once a day and spnd a charge of shot at the birds, for they soon seem to know when blank cartridge only is used. One or two of number shot and gibbeted is generally a good "scarecrow," and has been known to deter them from revisiting a field of ripe corn they had attacked. A clockwork crow- keeper has been invented. A figure of a man in thin wood carries a gnn, which at regular inter- vals is raised to the shoulder and fired. The intervals are regulated by setting a dial. In North Norfolk the writer was informed that J corn was dressed with a mixture of tar and iir- e. 4 eh effectively protected it from the rocks, a o -h, it was said, had been practiced an Act of Parliament passed -s of her present Majesty to sow, or lay out, was -essly use ctin, agriculture. Fields of ripe al" and barley, are ofteii rocks. This takes place most crop suffers most when the corn ha. heavy rain or high winds. The sides »f the fields are almost always prei the birds, and some fields, from their i and surronndings, are more visited than ot. A corn field adjoining the pastures and meado iJIovhich the rooks frequent is always more liable ta to their attacks than Cne lying in the midst of an-open, treeless, arable country. When the flock is busy worming on the-grass it is easy for a few birds nearest the edge to flap over into the corn -t' I tinost A,ithoTit being noticed. Lar,e trees to which the rooks habitually resort in summer are also a. source of danger to a corn field near them. Hidden in the thick foliage the noks wait, silent .1, ir -.?-oop, A- ,iid uiinoticerci, for.. good cli. ceof;,7 Iiig do n upon the field unobserved. It is not only the corn they eat on these occasions, but what they spoil. Even when the corn is upright they will sometimes knock it down for themselves. This happens more frequently with a thin crop and short straw. Raising themselves to their utmost stretch, or rising a little way, they beat the corn down with flapping wings. The bean crop in harvest does not appear to suffer much. It is a curious fact that just after the harvest is off the ground the rooks very seldom, if ever, pay any attention to the lar"C amount of scattered grain left on the stubbles, but rather prefer at that season to haunt the grass fields for the grubs and worms they find there. This seems to indicate I'll at the rook's fondness for a farinaceous diet is after all not very great. As with the spring-sown corn, watching the crop is the only way cf mitigating the damage. As the attacks are often limited to a small space, this is more easily carried out than in seed-time, and the hedges being in full leaf, it is often not difficult to cruep up to the birds in the corn, when a couple of shots into them as they rise wall give them a considerable scare, and the bodies of two or three of their number hung up will often deter them from returning. In the potato field rooks occasionally do some damage by digging up and carrying off the newly- planted "settings" in spring, and also the ripe tubers in autumn. But in mitigation of this offence it can be said that the amount of labour which the rooks would have to expend before reaching their spoil prevents them from doing a -r- I -at deal of injury. The iiii,h'ef at c-.itlier season is not -,f very common occurrencc, while the visits paid by the rooks to the j)otato:field in autumn are, often at all events, made for the purpose of searching out the grubs which are con- cealed there and the writer can say that he has never heard of rooks doing any appreciable damage among ripe potatoes in the district with which he is best acquainted. The latter part of this charge; is indeed seldom or never there broug-ht against the rooks. Rooks will in ssvere seasons peck holes in the swede turnips which are still in the fields and not covered up in anyway. Besides eating a larger or smaller portion of the pulp, they let the water into the bulb at the hole made by their beeks, and thus accelerate its rotting. It has been suggested that the rooks are in search of a grub or maggot in th- turnip, but enquiry has failed to substan- tiate this theory, which may, however, have some truth in it. But roots, if they are intended to keep in good condition, should be taken up and 'tted before hard weather comes, they ar?! p, th(.n ,afe fr(-,iii ?r?st and rooks a-like, tliziigh the latter will settle on the top of the pits and peck the roots if they are not properly covered up. Root crojs left out in the open all winter, and neither pitted nor covered over by the ringing plough, as is the practice in some districts, will probably not be worth much after a spell of weather severe enough to induce the rooks to feed on them. Unless speedily eaten up by sheep and cattle, they are apt to go bad very soon, and therefore the rooks' alleged depredations are prac- tically af very little account. Unroofing ricks and pulling them to pieces in severe weather, when the snow is on the ground, is another charge brought against the rook. The writer heard great complaints of this kind of damage in north Norfolk. Putting on one side those times when it is either harrying the newly-drilled fields, pillaging the ripening corn, or forced by the season to seek relief at the stack (a rare occurrence except in the case of ricks badly built and thatched) the rook may be said to live a life of the greatest utility. Day after day the flocks may be seen alike in spring and autumn, summer and winter, scattered over the grass fields and meadows, pursuing their useful avocation of ridding the pastures of worms and noxious grubs. The larva of th- cooke'tiaf.-r and of ths files or daddy-longlegs (tipula), as well as wire-worms, abound often in old turf as well as in "clover leas," and do great damage by eating- the roots of the grasses. These grubs are the favourite food of the rooks, and many instances .re on record of tho birds' good offices in destroying and ktepiiin: them in check. Daniel, the author of "Rural Sports," says that in 1747 whole meadows and cornfields in Suffolk were destroyed by the. lirve of the elmfer Ix-elle. The decrease in rookeries in that county was thought to be the occasion cf it, and the farmers both in Suffolk and Norfolk found it in their interest to encourage the breed of rooks, which « xtripated the beetle. Jesse also tells us that lie once knew a rookery destroyed in defer- ence to the request of many farmers, who two years afterwards, were desirous that it should be restored, tb- wire worms, cockchafer grubs, and other destructive insects having greatly increased during that period. The same author, when speaking of the large fst rrub of the cockchafer as a favourite food of the rooks, says that their search for them in old mossy grassfields may be detected by the little tufts cf moss which are pulled up by them and scattered about. He was once shown a field which bad all the appearance of being scorched, as if by a burning sun in dry weather. The turf peeled from the ground as if it had been cut with a turfing spade, and it was dis- covered that the roots of the grass had been eaten -away by the larvae of the chafer, which were found [ in countless numbers at various deptht in the soil. i This field was visited by a great quantity of rooks, thowjh there was no rookery within many miles of the neighbourhood, who turned up and t devoured the grub. The passage here italicised 1 explains how the grubs were enabled to increase so enormously and do so much damage. Where rooks are most plentiful such a state of things is most unlikely to exist. It is recorded that years ago a flight of locusts visited Craven, to the great I alarm of the agriculturists of that district. But the rooks flocked in from all parts, and speedily destroyed the whole of the insects. In the same publication it is stated that about the year 1830 there was such an enormous quantity of cater- pillars upon Skiddaw that they devoured all the vegetation on the mountain, and it was feared that they would attack the crops in the enclosures the rooks, however, discovered them and soon consumed them. Watch the rookery in spring, when the rooks are feeding their young. See where they go to find the food they are carrying to the nests. They go I, to the rich pastures, to the damp meadows, to the fallows, and to the allotment plots now newly turned up by the spade. Here you may ..see the p,Iline? tl)e ivc)rn)., otit of the groutid. All day long tli,-v go b,,ic! c-,N,ar(l?z and forwards betnveen the nest trees and the field*, bearing each time a little load of w< jrms and grubs. Each time they bring back qi lite a niri-iber. and the iiiass ccUected in the ba sal part the mandible (under the tongue) can be clearly setn as the rock flies past the observer ( in its homeward journey, the loose skin being d istended and appearing like a lump at the base (f the beak. This gave rise to the notion, formei Jy entertained, that the rook had a pouch at the root of the tongue. Worms nd gn lbs thiy must have for their young. Corn is no food to them. In dry, cold springs, when frost s and bitter east winds have made the turf as hr .rd as iron, and dried up the newly turned soil i lntil it is dusty and powdery, so that the worms have retreated far below the surface, the youn g rooks are sometimes half starved. Faint, ihin, hungry caws come from the nests, and the old birds sit about, or fly to their feeding grour ids jn a half-hearted way, for they know how us sloss it is t ) search for worms in the dry," powder- r soil of the fallows, and their beaks cannot break the hard surface of the grass lands. Dry, bitter] y cold springs always make the young rooks late, though the weather is suitable for drilling corn. And what a chorus of glad caws arises, riien the wind shifts into the south-west, and th e gentle, softening showers fall We cannot want better proof than this that all that time th e rooks are doing unbounded •ood. v lid here we may well devote a short space to -nsideration oi the earth worm. When a been said i o do good by eating worms, as been m ade—"That is not good we without worms, they are very bene. oiigh It is well known that the oi ir surface soil, and assimi. tl l it the decaying vegetable which fttl. l on it every year. id sweet by boring through U directions. But the e. me too numerous, and j blessing. Those plenty are generally ue moles and shrews, cai. '•to be over- stockeo with ,• where the mole he slw • « °, 01^ns' birds seldom conn W nen,tly kept I&-An i. h. some object from the v worms. Insteadof greei brown, the grass being cov-i castings. In tjie litelien g-,u, .-n possible to sow seeds In the I-)-. stantly disturbed by the work <■; and the growth of the roots of e very fered with by them. It is as well u that the whole country might hi com. L the earthworm's natural enemies vere.alldeb or so thinned that they could not keep the 1\0 in check. And if once the earthwoi ms did incre.. to this extent it is difficult to say what remedy could be found. The Crane-fly, or Daddy-longl€$»s (Tipula). may often be found swarming in pastures and meadows towards the end of summer and. in early autumn. They are t here for the ptii-Im ise of de- positing their eggs, from which swarnv 5 of larvae would be hatched out, partly late in the same autumn, but chiefly early in the followr ng spring. The multitude of grubs thus brought into exif t- ence wiuld do inealetilabi(- hariii byw nawing ?he roots of the grasses and other plants. The rooks, hov,'ever, abate the mischief at its ver y inception, by eating enormous numbers of th> a flies Them- selves. They also dig up and eat the grubs at other seasons, both in pasture tiel, Is and on the arable land. Enough has been said, howeve? to show the presence of the rooks on the grasf lands is emi- nently beneficial and it is only r lecessary to re- mind farmers that when they see tufts of grass or clover plants in their fields evider tly pulled up by the rooks, they must not consid(,, that this is » mischievous action, but reineiiitm r that the worm was already gnawing at the ro< Jt of the plant, which would in any case have died, when the rook plucked it to destroy the r eal author of the mischief, and in destroying the grub, saved many plants not only from it indiviau- ally, but from the ravages of the numbers it would have propagated. To appreciate fully the benefits the rcoks confer upon us in this respect, we 3 nust observe how many days in the year are sper ,t by the sable hosts in the pastures and meadows, how they resort day after day to one particular fk l d which seems more particularly to need their pr esence, deserting it for another only when their work is done, and in the hard times of winter, shot ild a mill spell occur how they will crowd down in: to the partly flooded meadows, where, at the edge of the shallow water, they know that in the softei led ground they will again find in abundance jhei r favourite prey, from which the rigours of win ter and frost-bound ground had lately debarred them. To the arable land the rook is not less atten- tive, although the period di iring which its useful visits can be paid is neces sarily somewhat cur- tailed. A newly ploughed, field is a happy hunt- ing ground for the birds, ;and tho picture of the rooks following the plough in order to seize the grubs and worms turned up before they have time to bury themselves once more, is a familiar country sight often depicted both by pen and pencil. The stubble fields are also visited in late autumn and winter, and in spring the fields of young autumn-sown wheat are visited by the rooks in search of wireworms which so often infest them. It needs only for the inquirer to witness once the utter destruction among corn crops which can be caused by these pests (the unchecked ravages of which would result in the entire failure of the crop), and he will ever afterwards view with complacency the rroks swaggering along the drills of hit thickening wheat crop and if he fluids here and there a few plants plucked up, let liiiu rest satisfied that at their roots the wireworm wai entrenched, and that the rook in rooting the plant stopped further mischief. To the turnip and swede fields, especially in hot weather, in the early days of autumn, the visits of the rooks are most beneficial. Root crops at that season often suffer greatly from wireworms, and still more from the ravages of a fat grey grub, the larva of one of the dart-moths, the turnip-moth (agrotis senetv.m). The latter is one of the most destruc- tive of farm insects. The larva feeds on the cabbage, onion, lettuce, carrot, tnmip, mangold, beet, etc., eating off the young plants, as well as boring into the bulbs. The rooks are very fond of these grubs, as well as of wireworms, and by digging round the roots soon reduce their num- bers. The writer on examining a root crop attacked by the grub, but afterwards visited by the rooks, had the pleasure of hearing the owner say that he did not believe he should have had any roots at all if it had not been for the crows" —and this testimonial came from one who was in no way predisposed in favour of the rook, but who was more alive to the mischief they do at times than to the more habitual, but lest osten- tatious. benefits that they confer upon agricul- turists. The destruction of vast quantities of the de- structive chovy ( Phylloperthn Hortieola) has also been attributed to the rook. And they are said also to eat the caterpillart which sometimes infest the foliage of caks. To sum up the whole matter, it has been found without doubt that the rooks do a certain amount of damage both in seedtime and harvest; but it must also be conceded that the periods during which they can injure the agriculturist are of short duration. On the other hand, the benefits they confcr are equally well proved, are carried on on a, much larger scale, and are continued during the whole of the year, save at those exceptional timet when the earth is frost-bound or deeply covered with snow. It has been shown that the natural and usual food of the rook consists ;f worms, grubs and insects, and that a vegetable or farina- ceous diet is only occassionally resorted. In the fa,ec- of thes3 facts, it is iinrssibll- to come te, a I any other conclusion than t? at w ii e the ri:)ok is undoubtedly occ-ionally liliurions in certain places and for certain short periods, yet its occa- sional depredations are largely outweighed by the good which it is continually doing, and thai on the whole in its relation to agriculture it is « highly beneficial agent. Our crops and newly sown fields, during those short periods when they are liable to suffer from tho visits of the rooks CM be protected from the birds to a large extent' but no human means or device would in any degree suffice to check the enormous increase of those many noxious insects (and the consequent, frightful ravages upon our crops) which would certainly ensue were wu to bo deprived of the services of our feathered defenders. We ought not then, in times of insect scarcity, to grudge them a fraction of those crops which they have preserved f:r our use from their insect foes. But know They are the winged wardens of your farms, Who from the corn fields drive the insidious fo% And from your harvests keep a hundred haringj Even tho blackest of them all, the crow."