The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-11-19
THE ENGLISH SPARROW.
A Small Bird with an Exceedingly Bad
Reputation.
The Story Of His Invasion Of Maine
from kittsry to Fort Kent.
Many Opinions that He should be
outiawed by the Legislature.
Anecdotes which Show that He
Wants the Earth In Maine.

those cities and villages where the sparrow
has become known the epithets Of the emf
nent ornithologist have very often become
the expletiyes Of the vexed citizens. From a
question Of preference or sentiment the con-
tinued increase Of these sparrows has become
an economic question Of such grave impor-
tance that the Agricultural Department has
taken II In hand, and set the division Of Eco
nomic Ornithology 10 work In earnest. The
case Of the English sparrow is to be tried
carefully and faithfully to see If observation
shall confirm the prejudces which exist In
the popular mind.
In Maine this sparrow has not gained the
unenviable notoriety which he has in some
other States; but his family are invading the
State steadily, and in few years the COM
plant heard in the cities will be repeated
throughout the country. As it was at Port
land that the first English sparrows were set
free on American soil, any investigation Of
the dominion Of the birds in this State should
begin with this city.
FIRST SEEN IN PORTLAND.
About the year 1858, Thomas Armory De-
blois, OF this city, brought number Of these
sparrows from England and let them loose
In Portland. For two or three years the
flock prospered, but finally disappeared. Mr..
Everett Smith, Of this city, a close student Of
the habits Of birds, remembers observing the
birds Of this early flock. They were brought
here for no particular purpose, and after pub.
lie curiosity had abated, their disappearance
seems to have been hardly noticed. The
sparrow came to stay only when he was
brought here foi a purpose
About dozen years after Deblois's ex-
pertinent, in the early 70's, the rayages Of a
very destructive worm on the shade trees Of
the city caused feeling very much like con-
sternation. On the fine trees Of State street
this work was especially destructive. Bish-
op Nicely had seen the English sparrows in
New York, and having faith that they would
exterminate the worms. brought two pairs to
this city and liberated them. General Shep-
ley also brought several, and though the first
colonists did not thrive, the importations
were persisted in by others until the spar
rows were well established. At the present
time they are overrunning the city, and in
Deering, Saccarappa and Cumberland Mills
their numbers and ways have gained the i'll
will Of the people, though the farmers have
as yet made little complaint. That they
effected the purpose for which Bishop Nea-
ly and General Shepley introduced them is
not proven. Bishop Neely says the worms
soon disappeared, whether because ex-
terminated by the sparrows or because they
had finished their course he can not say.
NATIVE BIRDS DRIVEN OUT.
Mr.. Everett Smith, who has observed the
sparrows very carefully for many years, thinks
they had little to do with the disappearance
OF the worms. The eocoons Of the latter. he
says, were even found undisturbed ON the
nests Of the sparrows. As to the sparrow as
neighbor, Mr. Smith has some very posi-
tive ideas. Before they became so numerous
Portland was frequented by as many as 30
different species Of birds In the early morn
ing their songs were heard from every tree
top; many Of them preyed on those worms
which live upon the shade trees. Now very
few Of these birds are to be seem They have
been supplanted by the English sparrows,
which have driven them out, not so much in
pitched battles as by breaking up their nests
and preventing them from breeding. IL took
or 5 years to do IL; but in the end the
'N@N~-DSAAt0 oNaAAOWf tAtc AAAIllus Tic Diuc-
bird and the little hair bird. his curIously
woven nest torn in pieces, took their depart
ure from Portland. Now the sparrow, lord
of the field. builds his unsightly nest in the
haunts Of his enemies. These nests, which
Mr. Smith has observed in various parts Of
the city, are very curious. and have excited
the wonder OF many who do not know what
they are. From the streets and the cutters
the sparrow collects straw, hay, rags, sticks.
chips, and whatever other refuse material
he can carry, and in some convenient tree or
on some building begins his nest. But it is
very different affair from the airy home Of
the creole or the neat nest Of the hair bird.
The sparrow builds for himself an immense
ball as large as mans hat, often as large as
a half bushel measure, and sometimes larger.
In the centre Of this he makes his own small
home; the huge mass viii accor modate no
more than the small nest Of an or, nary bird.
The small bird houses, from which he has
driven the former occupants, tbs sparrow
also lines with these lunches Of rubbish,
leaving only a small nest in the middle for
himself. Soft happens that bird house
where several pairs Of martins formerly
lived in happiness win now shelter only one
pair Of sparrows.
In consideration Of all his ways and his
tyrannies towards other birds Mr.. Smith
thinks that the sparrow should be outlawed
by the Legislature. How numerous the
English sparrows are becoming in Portland
everyone here knows. Mr.. Smith says that
pair Of sparrows raise three broods year,
and four birds in brood. 1t is not hard to
understand why their numbers increase so
rapidly here and elsewhere, ard why they
are SO successful in driving off other birds
An account Of their triumphant march
through Maine, march which has been very
rapid during the last five years, may be Of
interest. Mr. Harry Merrill, Of Bangor, who
is very accurate observer of the habits Of
birds. gives this excellent account Of the
bird, with description of its doings in Ban
gor:
SOME HABITS AND HISTORY OF THE BIRD.
The American 0rnithologists' Union not
long ago published the results Of their in
quiries into the habits Of the English spar
rows with regard to their relations TO other
birds and TO mankind In general, but with
more especial reference TO their effect upon
agriculture. This report, based as it is up
on testimony gathered from all over the
country Is very exhaustive and thoroughly
covers the much discussed sparrow question,
while the source from which II emanates
makes 1t an authority upon the subject Of
which It treats. | would refer anyone de-
string special information on the subject TO
this report. The result of this inquiry may
be briefly summed up as follows: The Eng
lish sparrows are very destructive to the crops
of the agriculturist and gardener; they drive
away our smaller native birds; they destroy
insects TO a reyy limited extent, but the bene-
fits they confer in this way are exceedingly
small. and in no way serve as an offset to the
damage they work In other ways, which is
so great that they should be consideFed as
pests, and treated rs we treat other vermin
and paraSites-even to determination IL pOssi-
BILE. These birds breed very rapidly and raise
5, q or young In a brood, and three or four
brOods in a season. Their rapid increase Is at
once understood when II Is considered that,
as a rule, our native insectiyorous birds raise
but four young in brood and but one brood
year
HIS APPEARANcEIN THIS COUNTRY.
The historyof this parasite in America Is
Of some interest as showing this increase.
The first sparrows known to have been
brought 70 this country were imported by a
Mr.. Debl0is IN 1858, mt which time he re-
leased six birds on his estate In the city Of
Portland. In 1865 some 20 pairs were freed
in Central Park, New York, 6 pairs in Trini-
ty Churchyard. pairs In Washington Park
and pairs in Union Square. About 20
birds were set at liberty In Boston in June,
1868 and 10 more In 1869. The same year 20