National Republican., 1883-08-07
THE PESKY SPARROW.
A History Of the Efforts Made to Secure His
Questionable Company.
The Popular Delusion that He is the
Celebrated Early Bird
A Vigorous Argument in Favor Of Putting Him on a
Level with Other Birds.
substitute Him for the Pigeon at Shooting
Matches.

The English sparrow has been attracting so
much attention lately that the following his
tory of his introduction to this country by
DR.. Elliott Coues will probably be read with
Interests:
According to DIR. Thomas NJ. Brewer, who
should be high authority in this case, the
sparrows were first introduced to this country
in the autumn of 1858, when half dozen
birds were liberated by a gentleman named
Deblos, in garden in Portland, Maine.
They remained in the vicinity during the
winter, and the next spring built three nests
in pear trees in the garden where they had
been first set free. From one of these nests
came six young birds, and four others were
Matched in second nest built by the same
pair.
Some sparrows may have been imported
prior to this, but we have no record, to my
knowledge, of any earlier instance Of the
birds obtaining a foothold in this country.
Portland has therefore the unenviable noto-
riety of having first harbored the obnoxious
birds From the fons Ct Origo of the trouble
we have seen, the birds spread by natural
multiplication, and speedily appeared in other
portions Of the state.
Mr.. George N. Lawrence has recorded
some particulars of the importation and nat
uralizatiOn of the sparrows in the city of New
York, where, he tells us, he first observed
duction. l well remember when /
myself first laid eyes on the aliens; it was in
January, 1885, when Mr.. Lawrence walked
with me to one of the public squares of the
city, where the sparrow "alone upon the
house top" was still a novelty, full of interest
for us both. The birds were already numer-
Gus. and evidently quite at home; they were
only one of the several colonies which had
at that time been established in the city and
its envrons. 1t appears that they were in
troduced by Mr.. Eugene Schieffelin:
In 1860" writes Mr.. Lawrence, and for
three years thereafter he yearly set free five
or six pairs mostly in the neighborhood of
Madison square; seven pairs were let out in
the Central park, by the commissioners, in
1864" From such beginnings, quite suffi-
cient for sparrows, the birds multiplied in
their accustomed marvellous manner, and in a
few years took possession of the city, like an
army of occupation. Speaking with his usual
moderation, Mr.. Lawrence remarks that the
measuring worms "are said to form part of
the diet of this species;" and ventures to
add that its introduction in Philadelphia
where those worms ABOUND, would confer q
boon.
Boston was committed to the fatuous expert
ment in 1865 when some twenty sparrows,
out of decimated invoice of 200 nom Ger
many, were turned out in june Fortunately
still more died, and the few survivors disap-
lowing year resulted disastrously, for dozen
OF 30 of the birds survived, owing to the
sedulous care bestowed upon them, and es-
tablished themselves in the southern part of
the city. From this indus they emerged on
the approach of winter to the number, it is
said, of $50, and were daily fed during the
inclement season by the city forester in the
deer park. Since then they have very largely
increased. About twenty that same summer
were set at liberty in Monument square,
Charlestown.
The Philadelphia record of introduction is
fully given by Mr.. Gentry. 1t appears that
the sparrows were imported in the winter of
1860 by the city government to the number
of about thousand, through the personal
exertions of Mr.. John Bardsley, of German
town, Pa, to whom belongs the credit of their
introduction" Ornamental trees had been
so much infested with the measuring worms,
and the reports which had been spread of the
good service of the birds toward destroying
these creatures in other cities caused applica-
tiles to try the experiment. Mr..
Bardsley sailed for England with the
intention of procuring a great number of
sparrows at his own expense, and presenting
them to his adopted city He secured large
invoice, which reached Philadelphia safely
and were comfortably quartered until the
following spring whom they were turned
of birds, so irascible and pugnacous, were
not likely to long remain together, and ac-
cOrdingly we find it stated that they almost
Immediately appeared in the remoter suburbs
of Philadelphia, and even in distant towns
in New Jersey. Their instantaneous multi
plication, so to speak, at an alarming rate,
was of course the result of their beginning
SO strong; and DR.. Brewer attests their
alacrity in mischief in the vicinity of Phila-
delphia, ''where they found the cherry trees
in full bloom, and where their first exploits
in stripping the bloom from the trees gave
not very favorable first impression of these
new comers." The same eminent ornitholo-
gist also speaks of ''their predatory aggres-
sions upon the rights of the common robin"
as deserving mention, and calls the spar
row "the robber" No steps, however, were
taken to repair blunder already evident.
In each one of the largest cities just men,
toned, as doubtless elsewhere, there have
been other importations than those here
noted, l only refer to the original introduc-
tions.
Prof Baird states that the first attempt to
,naturalize the sparrow in Washington failed
in consequence of the death of three hundred
individuals imported by the Smithsonian in
,stitution, but that a second experiment, made
|, in 1871, was successful. The birds were
already familiar objects in this city in 1873,
when first noticed them, and their multi
WAS cOlHCluenU WIN Inurkeu
decrease in the numbers of the native species.
This is attested by several observers among
whom may be mentioned Mr.. Robert Ridg-
way.
1t appears to have been at about this t3ma
that the sparrows We're naturaliZed at Salt
Lake City, Utah, where the Mormons intro
duced them. Their appearance in that dis
tant quarter is recorded by Mr.. J. A. Allen
in 1872.
1t would be impossible to pursue the
history of this grave blunder beyond its ini-
tial steps, even were it worth while to do so,
for the records of the appearances of
the bird multiplied directly at a
rate comparable only to that of the repro
duction of the fecund foreigners themselves.
The seeds of mischief were only too we'll and
surely sown; the result was inevitable.
Partly by numerous importations direct from
Europe partly by transportation of Ameri-
can born birds to various now tOci of props
CATION, but chiefly through the natural
operation of the instinct "to be fruit
full and multiply" the evil spread
at large. At present writing the birds may
be said to have Overrun or overflown the
whole country from Maine to Georgia and
Utah. Though still in a measure confined
within municipal limits, where they subsist
mainly upon street garbage, especially horse
manure, and are thus comparatively inoc-
uous, they have already set such restriction
at defiance and invaded the rural districts,
where the complaints of their inroads ON
fruit trees kitchen gardens, and grain fields,
grow steadily louder and more frequent Coup
ling such facts with the acknowledged failure