asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give the House the result of the most recent re search as to whether rooks eat more in sects or farmers' crops; and whether it is the policy of his Department to protect or to destroy these birds.

Investigations into the food of rooks under present agricultural conditions are in progress, but the results are not yet available. The policy of my Department is to reduce the rook population in cases where, by reason of excess of numbers, the good the birds are doing in destroying insect pests, etc., is outweighed by the harm of their attack on crops and grain.