Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-03-06
THREE PLAQUES OF NEW YORK.
Park Polioeman's Remarks - Mis-
chlevous BOYS, Sparrows, and Cats.

tho three plaques of New DIRK 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 uirrels and
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 boy
with S uirrel, which he had stolen, in
his possession How did he manage to
catch it Well, that is a mystery,
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 out of the parI with the uir-
rel under his arm. We asked him how
he had caught it, and what do you think
the young rascal replied h, you want
me to give away de racket, so you fell
lows can 20 and catch them yourselves.
II sell you as many rs you want for
cents apiece, but I'll not tell you how
it 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 trap or
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 fiuttered about and utter
ing cries of distress So the commits
sioners gave orders to thin them out
Many were then shot and Others were
caught in traps If the squirrels had
only eaten up all the sparrows'
eggs they would have been public ben
efactors, but the sparrows are fighters
from ightersville while the S uirrels
are not very brave, so the feathered
thieves were able to hold their own.
~ hat do the squirrels live on, DIV
you ask They pick up nuts and est
them. and what they can not eat they
bury in the ground for future use. on
ought to see them hiding nuts. TheY
will scratch out a hole in less than two
seconds, drop in few nuts and tnen
cover them up again with earth. In
winter, when the snow is on the ground,
they 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 o. some
trees. These are their nests. They are
so firmly fastened to the 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 one of
the reporters.
The sparrows are good-for- nothing,
lazy thieves. and ought to be extermi-
mated" continued Sergt. Meany. "Let
the keepers go to feed the pigeons and
the sparrows are there eating faster
than the pigeons. A sparrow can eat
nearly as much as pigeon, aud when
hundred sparrows invite themselves
to breakfast with flock of fifty pigeons
there is not much left for the pigeons,
and the keeper is obliged to issue double
rations Why, these sparrows have the
cheek to 90 into the eagles cage and
try to sample the meat that is given tc
the royal birds. There were couple
of active male sparrows who had the
impudence to pull the feathers out Of
the eagles backs for their nests. Die
it make the eagles mad lou bet il
did, but they were too big for the. spar
rows and could not catch them Why
the eagles had no more show with thu
sparrows than bull has with fly il
summer
"Sparrcws are lazy loafers, who liv'
by their wits upon the fruits of othel
birds toll. You ought to take randi,
some evening in the upper part of tn
park, where there are not many visitors
and you may see the sparrows Robin!
the robins. These fellows have studied
the habits of the robins and know whel
these birds go out foraging. A sparrow
will mark out robin and follow hin
at a distance. The robin will alight OIL
the roadside and begin to peck away a
the earth until he finds delicate whit
grub, of which he is very fond. HI
will pull it out of the ground and flinl
it down to rub the dirt off. Down come
, the sparrow like a ri bullet, seizes tn
grub and swallows it, aud then mock
, ingly chirrups to the robin, as thougl
. to say 'How's thai for high9
, when the sparrows have gorget
r themselves and can eat no more the,
get up fight among themselves. The
can no more live without fighting thai
can a Dutchman without Limburge
cheese and lager beer, and when the
Q fight they mean business every time
, GU will first see the feathers fly, an
! then four or five, or perhaps dozen
of the birds will clinch, and all will fal
! to the ground in a bunch. That is
r good time TO catch them if you happe
r to be near Clap you hat upon them O
throw your coat over them and you'v
r got them A male sparrow-he Away
Q has black breasts a fraud.
0 GAS for the cats" added the sergeant
) they're not any better, If you Civ
S them plenty to eat they will not cato
@ any mice, and if you do not give ther
= what they want, they will steal you
meat and your pigeons"
Sergt. England differed with his co