The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-06-10
;mte EARN.
SPARROWS, MOLES AND TOADS.

these muchab-used and despised crea-
lures. The sparrows brought from
England to New York and Brooklyn,
few years ago, have increased and
multiplied to wonderful extent. Now
and then the newspapers and magazines
inveigh against them for driving from
the parks and streets our native birds
such as robins, blackbirds and wrens-
by their clanish, intolerant, and pugna-
cious habits. That they are clannish
and pugnacous, is true enough; but
the charge of driving away our native
birds is an inexcusable libel upon them.
During a residence in New York of
more than fifty years we have never
seen the native birds take up their resi-
dencc there When the country resi-
dences of the wealthy, mingled with
farms, orchards and market gardens,
commenced at Fourth street and thence
extended northword, all that region
now in the city, was full of the birds
we have mentioned, as of others; yet
would none appear in the thickley built
streets. And because of the absence
of these birds, the horse chestnut,
linden, maple elm and similar trees
which then lined the streets were eaten
by insects to such an extent that they
were cut down and their planting aban
doned. The ailanthus was introduced
to supply their places because of its
reputation as being insect proof but
the remedy proved almost as bad as
l. ba hoinr fat i'll w hon
in flower, as to make many persons
really sick. Hence it was abandoned
and thereafter the planting of trees in
in the streets almost entirely ceased
There are few birds in any country
that frequent the thickly settled haunts
of men or can be induced to do so.
England abounds with goldfnches,
bullfinches, thrushes, wrens and SINH
lar birds. to the extent of their being
an actual nuisance to the gardener; yet
none of them, except the sparrow, are
found in large cities; the other birds
are abundant on the outskirts but never
enter the city. Instances are given of
farmers, who paid head money to get
rid of the sparrows, and four or five
years later were compelled to import
new stocks of them from other countries,
at large cost, because they found that
the insects did hundred fold more
injury to the crops than the sparrows
had ever done But for these much
abused sparrows walk in Central or
Prospect Parks, in June and July,
would be unbearable because of the
enormous quantities of caterpllars pen
dant from trees
And this service they render besides
their usefulness in the preservation OF
the trees from other destructive insects.
Many people accuse the sparrows of
not eating the caterpillars, and argue
therefrom that they are not nearly so
useful as they are claimed to be. There
is truth in this accusation. We have
watched them closely and have never
seen them eat the caterpillar unless he
were young and tender, and that not
verv often. But they have undeniable
passion for insects eggs; and rummage
about through trees, shrubs and plants,
with wonderful perseverance, seeking
them in the crannies and crevices Of
the bark. They thus destroy more in
sects at one meal than would feed them
a week if the insects were full grown.
Then again their fecundity is far great
er than is that Of our native birds;
these do not breed in sufficient quantity
to keep down the insects that infest the
trees in our cities, while the sparrows
increase so rapidly that they soon con-
sumo the insects eggs, and thus rapidly
rid US of the insect nuisance. And if,
in any section, the sparrows become to
numerous, they may be speedily exter-
minated by relaxing the laws which
now very generally regulate the de-
struction of birds Except that the
shooting of them is by law forbidden,
three months would suffice for their
utter disappearance. The Mole is an
other much abused animal He is
generally believed to be a vegetarian,
but, on the contrary, he is carnivorous,
living upon the larva or grubs of wing
ed insects, or upon insects whose proper
habitat is in the earth. We have
never detected a mole eating a plant;
but in every case when the plant has
been under-run by the mole and con-
sequently wilted, we have found that
it's roots had been previously eaten off
by the larva of the cockchafer (June
Bug) or by some other insect. Friends
in the country, whom we visited during.
the Summer, complained Of the havoc
made bv moles in large bed of young
lilies. On examination we found scores
of the shoots of the lilies willing and
diving on the rows, which had been
under-run by the moles. These shoots
were found gnawed off, and in a man
ner to indicate beyond doubt that they
were destroyed by the grub or the arva
of the cockchafer aud not the moles.
The bulbs, planted six or more inches
Deep were untouched, and the burrows
of the moles were not more than three
or four inches below the surface of the
soil Searching in other parts of the
bed we found grubs busily at work
the bed, part of freshly turned-under
piece of grass land being full of them,
as such land is always sure to be.
The mole burrowing about in our
gardens in search of his food, often
does mischief by running under small,
freshly set-out plants: but we have the
choice of two evils-the bearing with
the small amount of mischief he does,
or bearing the far greater annoyance
and injury produced by the grubs and
worms. His presence is sure sign
that our gardens are, or have been,
infested with these The accusation
that he is vegetable eater is curious
instance of jumping at conclusions and
of the making Of reliable evidence out
of mere condolences. Because plants
are found gnawed through and die
when over his burrow, it is concluded
that he is the cause, whereas he was
only destroying the destroyer-render
ing service instead of doing an injury.
The Toad-almost universally de-
spised and upbraiued for his ugliness