New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-29
THE SPARROWS AND THE BLIZZARD.
thousands persisted IN THE cITY-GETTIN


READY TO FILL THE VACANCIES
Since the blizzard in March the English sparrow In the
has been less aggressive and messy There not
50 left OF him. and he who remains finds the means
OF making respectable living much moro plentiful than
when there colonies Of hundred OF him In every
block The disappearance of large numbers Of sparrows
can easily be verified by any who troubles HIMSELF to
give the matter his attention In the spring OF the year.
when they begin their arrangements for spring housekee
Ing the sparrows always holster than ct any other
season. require thorough oyerturning after
the winter female kept busy from light
until dark scratching out the old nests and securing ma
terisls for the new.
They already begun this work IN the pleasant early
days OF March before the storm came when the weather
had showed the rst indications Of spring. Tho fact
demonstrates that the sparrow weather prophet is
reliable than the wigginses the yennors they
would have prepared IN time for the wrath OF the storm
that coming. On that Monday morning OF the bliz
zard they wholly by surprise, and msny
probably drifed their homes by the and
persisted Those who able to get about
found 1t impossible to contend long WITH tho fierce cold
winds and which covered the streets mads all
kinds of food 1t fully three days before the
chances for food supply removed and By that time
thousands Of sparrows had suceumbcd.
The gardeners In the parks say that the sparrows
found dead great numbers in the several days
after the They not only starved 70 death, but
great frozen during the seyeest portion Of the
blizzard The sparrow is hardy enough and has coat
led the air melted In his feathers and froze again
in the keen air Many rendered incapable OF dying
and frozen buried in the Last week tho
survivors all the city had recovered from their grief
the loss of wve sisters and cousins and making
the best OF things IN order 10 have life comfortable for the
Director Conklin at the Arsenal in Central Park said
that he had observed the destruction made by the
the ranks OF the sparrows He thnbs fully one half Of
the sparrows in the city and perhaps high rs per
a f-C,p
stomach OF the SPARROW. he remarked Is his greatest
envy Like a goat ne eat almost anything; nothing
that is dgestibe seems 10 affect him. but he cats contin
usly and ns himself half dozen times day. The did,
Guilty during the storm that for three days most spar
rows could ind nothing eat Their somachs gave
and that fatal 70 them Nj COnkln is not among
who regard the as an uningated nuisance
They rood cavengers he says-a sort OF flying mice
and feed substances In the street that nothing else will
touch Besides This he considers that they have done
benent to the community in removing the small green
that used to nest the trees which more than
pensates for any inmry they have caused
1t is nearly twenty-five years since the sparrow
imported from England and the millions that have spread
country since have sprung from about one hun
dred pair Fifty pair brought TO Central Park and
turned by Director Conkln In 1904 and aou:
twenty-five pair yet liberty in other parts Of the
city few months later They certainly. MT Conkin said
put few 70 the pest Of green worns that
filled the and at times coated tho sidewalks OF the
CITY The sp9rrow5 under iaForaoie ocuHsonVos bio7d
from three four tines and have three or four
young birds at each nesting There Is not much dan
ger" Mr. Conkn observed that the result OF the stern
viii DO lasting the sosrrows Within nve years they
wiz be as in this neshborhood- 1t
viii be OF Interest to II this check that they
nave received will give the green chance to come
out again, whether the have been externnana
IN The city. II the DO appear under the circu
stances It win be evideace that the presence Of the
sparrow keeps them down"
The sparows natural colonists and when they
become 700 numerous to make living In one neighoor
feod the young seek out This is the
OF their spreading rapidly the United States in
few years IL the New.York spsrrows and the suryiv
ors left In the track Of the blizzard not able to
agate fast enough 70 MI the places OF those who persisted
In the storm new cconsts will probably find their way
10 Ne".Eork from other towns to keep up tho supply