The message m
from AndWhyNot contains these words:

/snip/

The birds (mostly house sparrows) were tearing my sunflower heads apart,
and as I was growing them to provide food and exercise for my cockatiel
I took a dim view.

I planted a thin six-foot cane in the middle of them and lashed on a
plastic food bag at one point so that any wind would open it up and move
it about.

Kept the little hooters off for the rest of the season.

Remember however that sparrows (all species) are in rapid decline, so
don't be too cross with then ............

Might not be any in ten years !!!!

Not in decline here. *AND* I left the ivy on the gable end this year for
them to nest in, *AND* when the builder replaces the barge-boards I'm
getting him to fix some communal nestboxen up there just for the
sparrows, *AND* there's ample wild food for them on the broad headlands
opposite and in the local hedgerows.

I remember the days when the sky would be darkened with sparrows at
harvest, and we boys were each given a muzzle-loading shotgun, a flask
of powder, a bag of dust-shot, wads, caps and a measure, and great was
the slaughter withal.

The little corpses were skinned by the farmer's wife and the breasts
made into sparrow pie, which was taken cold, along with a hot baked
potato, butter, and pickled onions, and washed down with beer drawn from
a wooden cask through a wooden tap *AFTER* all the stooks (shocks) were
raised.

Gunpowder smoke, sweat from lifting sheathes into stooks, dust from the
wheat: never did a boy deserve a bath more when he got home, I can tell
you.

And all with depth-charges on account of the onions.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)