, 1885-12-25
THREE PLAQUES OF NEW YORK
A Park Polioeman's Remarks mis-
ohIsvouH Bows, Sparrow and Cats
New York Timesl

a Park P0ltcem RehhhNNh hhF
ohIsvour Bow. Sparrow and Cats
New York Times1
'Poys, cats, and sparrows-these are
the three plaques of New ! ork and OF
Central park, } remarked Sergt. Meany,
of the park police, to a group OF officers
and reporters the other day. The
boys steal birds nest and 8 iuirrels n
flowers, the cats prowl around the
pigeons houses, and the sparrows steal
whatever they can lay their bills on
Why, only to-day we arrested a boy
with a s uirrel, which he had stolen, in
his possession. How did he manage to
catch it, Well, that is a mystery, a
secret OF his own which he would
not reveal to us. He had caught
several before; we knew it, and lay for
him, and to day we caught him trying
to sneak gu Of the parS with the s Iuir-
rel under his arm. We asked him how
he had caught 1t. and what do you think
the Young rascal replied I'll, you want
me to give away de racket, SO you TEL
lows can 90 and catch them yourselves.
Ill sell you as many as you want for 10
cents apiece, but I'll not tell you how
it s done
and, " continued the sergeant, there
is no one in this park who knows how
to catch squirrels except with traps or a
gun. and the boy did not have a trap or
a gun. We locked him up, because
there are few squirrels in the park now,
and it's against the rules to kill them.
Some time ago the park was full OF
them, and the people complained that
that they ate up the song birds eggs
and the newly Matched robins / think
there was some truth in the complaint,
for these squirrels were often noticed
fooling around the nests, while the
old birds fluttered about and utter
ing cries of distress So the commits
sioners gave orders to thin them out.
Many we're then shot and others were
caught in traps. II the squirrels had
only eaten up all the sparrows
q 2 they would have been public ben
efactors, but the sparrows are fighters
from lightersville. while the squirrels
are not very brave, so the feathered
thieves were able to hold their own.
"W hat do the squirrels live on, do
YOU ask They pick up nuts and eat
them. and what they can not eat they
bury in the ground for future use. GU
ought to see them hiding nuts. They
will scratch out a hole in less than two
seconds. drop in n few nuts and then
cover them up again with earth. In
winter. when the snow is on the ground,
thew are fed with corn. They are good
builders. too, and build substantial
nests. When the leaves will have all
fallen YOU will notice shapeless lunches
stuck in the upper branches Of some
trees. These are their nests. They are
so firmly fastened to tho branches that
the strongest wind can not blow them
off. They are made of twigs moss,
straw an other materials, and are per
fectly waterproof.
well, what about the sparrows
whom You call thievesl' asked ono o
the reporters.
The sparrows are good-for-nothing
law thieves. and ought to be extermi
mated" continued Sergt. Meany. lie
the keepers go to feed the pigeons anC
the sparrows are there eating taste
than the pigeons. A sparrow can ca
nearly as much as a pigeon, and wheI
n hundred sparrows invite themselve
to breakfast with n flock of fifty pigeon
there il not much left for the pigeons
and the keeper is obliged to issue doubl
rations Why, these sparrows have tn
cheek to 90 into the eagles cage ant
try to sample the meat that is given t
the royal birds. There were a courl
of active male sparrows who had th
impudence to pull the feathers out o
the eagles backs for their nests. ID
1t make the eagles mad o bet
did, but they we're too big for the spaI
rows and could not catch them. why
! the eagles had no more show with tn
} sparrows than a bull has with a fly l
summer.
"Sparrows are lazy l%oafers, who liy
nv their wits upon the fruits OF othe
! birds toll. You ought to take a ramhl
some evening in the upper part of ii
park, where there are not many visitor
! and you may see the sparrows Robin
the robins. These fellows have studio
the habits of the robins and know whe
these birds 90 out foraging. A sparro
will mark out n rolin and follow hi
at a distance. The robin will alight @
the roadside and begin to peck away {
|, : the earth until he finds a delicate viii
grub. of which he is very fond. /
|" will pull il out OF the ground and fill
it down TO rub the dirt of. Town com
: the sparrow like a ri Q bullet, seizes Il
= grub and swallows it, aud then moe
! inply chirrups to the robin, as thong
u to say. 'How's thai for hight
B. utu lht opoAAONo hR'N SOAH'
= themselves and can eat no more thu
get up a fight among themselves. Thu
. can no more live without fighting tbs
I can a Dutchman without Limburg
cheese and lager beer, and when thu
y fight they mean business every tim
y on will first see the feathers fly, al
then four or five, Of perhaps a doze
of the birds will clinch, and all will fl
Il to the ground in a bunch. That Is
: good time to catch them If you happ
y to be near. Clap you hat upon them
J. throw your coat over them and you
d got them. A male sparrow-he alwa
has a black breast is a fraud.
"As for the cats" added the sergeaI
j, they re not any better. If you q
them plenty to eat they will not cat
ls n mice, and if you do not give the
r. what they want, they will steal 20
meat and your pigeons.
Sergt England differed with his c
league. and thought that a cat VIII
~ properly educated was a valuable a
al NAL.