The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-06-29
THE ENGLISH SPARROW.
It's determination Beneficial.
PhNddelphia Timex

The English sparrow must 60; but how is
he TO be made TO go? He will stand all the
time on the order of bis going, and won't 20
at all except as be can find new fields in
which to spread desolation. He loves the
milky wheat, the succulent bud, the ripen-
ing fruit, and he loves to destroy ten times
as much as he can deyour. He also loves to
drive away the robin, the wren, the orole,
the American sparrow, the blue bird, and
every other bird of song that makes country
homes and city parks delightful.
The law now says that everybody may
kill the English sparrow, and everybody
should begin at once. The sparrow Is every
bodys foe; the foe of the garden, of the field
and OF the songsters of the air, and all should
join In destroying it. II is aplucky, reckless
raider, and Is as tenacious of life as a cat. II
claims all seasons for its own, and funerals
seem to be few and far between in the fami.
ly. They won't die In genial spring time;
they won't die in the heat of summer; they
won't die In mellow autumn, and they won't
die even In bleak winter. They seem to be
able 10 live anywhere In all seasons, and to
multiply with fearful rapidity.
The time has come when the systematic
determination of the destructive English
sparrow must begin. They have spread over
the whole Of Eastern Pennsylvania, in town
and country, and in q very few years there
will not be field that can escape devasta.
tion unless the work of determination Is COM
menced and vigorously prosecuted. It
would be vain for few In every neighbor-
hood TO begin the war. 1t must be a gener-
oil uprising of the people against his thievipg
little fraud. But how is the work of exter-
mination TO be prosecuted? There Is one
way, and that Is for every family to declare
war against the feathered scourge. Let the
shotgun do Its best work around the farms,
where It's deadly mission can be fulfilled
without driving the domestic birds away,
and about country homes, where lawns and
shades are the abodes of our own welcome
domestic birds, the percussion shot. gun and
the. air gun may be used with effect. The
air-gun Is of little practical use In making
sparrow funerals, but II is just the thing to
destroy their nests, and the destruction Of
these sparrow nests Is the most important
part Of the work Of determination. See that
no sparrow nest lasts long enough TO send
the brood out upon the world, and that most
effective assault upon the sparrow can thus
be well performed around every home or
farm by little evening and morning watch
fitness.
Philadelphia has imported and spread the
sparrow curse upon ourselves aud the coun-
try, and here the work Of destruction should
be systematic and tireless. Besides destroy
ing buds and driving the birds Of song from
our squares, the sparrow has detiled and de-
formed our houses and shrubbery, and the
war should be relentless against IL Ia our
city. The sparrow can't be shot In the city
with safety, but III care was taken all over
Philadelphia to destroy the sparrow nests.
the work OF determination would be speedily
accomplished. Let the people In city and
country begin al once, and a few years OF
effort will reward them with the practical
blotting out Of the most pestiferous visitor of
all the feathered tribe.