The Portland daily press., 1886-07-10
THE ENcLisH sPARRows.
Crievous Pests Sent to this Country
from Abroad.
[cor. Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.l

[Cor Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.1
Washington is superlatively attractive to
the English sparrow. The public buildings,
with their thousands of pillars and pilasters
and hooks and corners and crannies afford
them unusual Accommodations for breeding
places, and so do the abundant foliage and
the many statues and UNCOVERED walls.
They are multiplying beyond computation,
and are becoming as great a nuisance as
the locusts of Egypt, at least in numbers.
About the public buildings they have to be
fought continually, and occas ion much ex-
pense. They stain the white marbles and
make themselves offensive to anybody in the
great porticoes, so that people shun them and
keep away from the places where visitors
have delighted to stroll
In every nook of the ornamented and
carved stone-work they make their nests of
grass and rags and dirt, and rear brood after
brood, the first egg for new brood appear
ing in the nest to take the place of the last
young one sent out to haunt the street-car
tracks for himself and add his noise to the
universal chatter. The ornate capitals of
the Cornthian pillars of the Capitol are
full of them, and the interstices of the mar
BILE acanthus leaves are alive with these AFRO
giant, noisy and impudent typical English
birds. In 1914 the English burned the Amer
lean Capitol, and in 1886 the English
SparTOWS u6Ul6 III. ISL III pIGLly uSdI llu1S
to let the American eagle scream?
In the Treasury pOrtlcOs screens are put
up to keep the sparrow out, but they are I'M
slightly. One man was employed to brighten
away the sparrow, but they don't frighten
worth cent. He said when sparrow made
up his mind to build a nest in certain place
nothing short of killing would stop him.
| He would knock couple out with a broom
dozen times days, but they would come
back every time, with their mouths full OF
H., Add, Ioa1
son according to Clark Mills idea of
| HIM, sitting on his ramping charger in La
| fayette Square, is full of sparrows. There
| is nest Of them in each stirrup. and two
| under his sacred coat-tails.
| Shade of old hickory! think of the impu-
| dence of these British vagabonds! 1t is a
| funny sight to see them flying in and out be-
| tween the coat-tails of the old hero.
| In Richmond they have taken possession OF
| the famous Washington statue. There is
| one nest under the sword Of Washington
between the scabbard and the thigh, and
| there is another under Thomas Jefferson S
arm. They seem to pick out the heroes who
licked the BritShers for special lndignltles.
Said Richmond gentleman.
81 noticed wire netting over the caps OF
the columns fronting st. PauFs church,
doubtless to keep sparrows and swallows off ;
and to all appearance guard will have to be
placed-some kind of a scarecrow-to protect
the statuary, or else these heroic figures will
have to be yelled. Thus it will ever be; pro-
| lection calls for more protection. Richmond
protects her sparrows, and now she has to
protect her statuary."
The gentleman has not become thoroughly
acquainted with the English sparrow if he
| thinks any ''scarecrow' is going to disturb
| gun or a club If a scarecrow was set up,
| there would be a Sparrow's nest in every
| pocket in twenty-four hours.
They came to this country on the distinct
arrangement and assurance that they would
clean out the worms. That was the contract.
| They have kept it as the English always
keep their contracts with foreign nations.
| They work in on some pretense, and once
having gained foothold they begin to elbow
| the original possessors. The notes of an
American song-bird are rarely heard now in
our parks and pleasure places. The beauti-
full shade trees of Washington, and the
climbing vines and shrubbery are suffering
terribly from the ravages of worms.
Branches are denuded of their foliage, and
some of the poplar trees stand sad and sor-
rowful, bearing little beside dead stalks and
the webs of the worms. Over the porches
| of the house in which live are trained honey
suckle vines in beautiful profusion, 1t was
pretty sight couple of weeks ago. Now
there are nearly bare vines and worm nests
alone.
But out in the street and all over the piazza
are swarms of these English pests, chatter
| ing, squawking, fighting, yelling and feasting
ON the litter of the street The first light OF
the morning is made hideous by these noisy
scolding, quarreling, little beggars, and the
old morning songs of the robins, the thrqshes
the lark and other sweet and gentle home
birds are thing of the past.
1t seems to be about time Tor the, great
American people to raise up against this in
vason. England has made dumping
ground of this country for her Migrants and
paupers and criminal classes long enough.
If negotiations looking to a recall of the
sparrows are entered upon at once through
Secretary Bayard, he may be able within the
next three years, to send and receive some
communication on the subject which will be
as good as his diplomatic record on the fish
cry question promises to be.
Any way, the sparrows ought to go even If
war has to be declared and seventy-t five
thousand volunteers have to be called for for
three months service.