large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_03_selous_64kb_42
large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_03_selous_64kb
English
12918
When you see us walking about over the fields, we are looking for these great white things, and, whenever we give a dig into the ground with our beaks, you may be almost sure that we have either found one of them or something else which does harm too. WHEN YOU SEE US WALKING ABOUT OVER THE FIELDS WE ARE LOOKING FOR THESE GREAT WHITE THINGS AND WHETHER WE GIVE A DIG INTO THE GROUND WITH OUR BEAKS YOU MAY BE ALMOST SURE THAT WE HAVE EITHER FOUND ONE OF THEM OR SOMETHING ELSE WHICH DOES HARM TWO
y they are very small; but behind, it has no legs at all. It has a very strong pair of jaws, and with these it cuts through the roots of the grass and corn and wheat under which it lies, for these are the things on which it feeds. There is hardly anything which the farmer plants, and would like to see grow, that this grub or caterpillar (for that is what it is) does not eat and destroy; but what it likes best of all is the potato. “The cockchafer-grub lies in the ground for four years before it turns into a real cockchafer, and all this time it keeps growing larger and larger; and, of course, the larger it grows, the more it eats and the more harm it does. Now if there were no one to kill this great, greedy thing, I don’t know what the farmers would do, for all their crops would be spoilt. But we rooks kill them, and eat them too, for they are very nice, and we like them very much. We eat them for breakfast, and dinner, and supper, so you can think what a lot of them we eat in the day.  LIKE A CATERPILLARS ONLY THEY ARE VERY SMALL BUT BEHIND IT HAS NO LEGS AT ALL IT HAS A VERY STRONG PAIR OF JAWS AND WITH THESE IT CUTS THROUGH THE ROOTS OF THE GRASS AND THE CORN AND THE WHEAT UNDER WHICH IT LIES FOR THESE ARE THE THINGS ON WHICH IT FEEDS THERE IS HARDLY ANYTHING WHICH THE FARMER PLANTS AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE GROW THAT THIS GRUB OR CATERPILLAR FOR THAT IS WHAT IT IS DOES NOT EAT AND DESTROY BUT WHAT IT LIKES BEST OF ALL IS THE POTATO THE COCKCHAFER GRUB LIES IN THE GROUND FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE IT TURNS INTO A REAL COCKCHAFER AND ALL THIS TIME IT KEEPS GROWING LARGER AND LARGER AND OF COURSE THE LARGER IT GROWS THE MORE IT EATS AND THE MORE HARM IT DOES NOW IF THERE WERE NO ONE TO KILL THIS GREAT GREEDY THING I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FARMERS WOULD DO FOR ALL THEIR CROPS WOULD BE SPOILED BUT WE ROOKS KILL THEM AND EAT THEM TOO FOR THEY ARE VERY NICE AND WE LIKE THEM VERY MUCH WE EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST AND DINNER AND SUPPER SO YOU CAN THINK WHAT A LOT OF THEM WE EAT IN A DAY
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