Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-08-06
The English Sparrow.

me EngIlSn sparrow
The United States Department Of
Agriculture has just issued an extend
ed report on tue English sparrow. It
is an octave volume of 4O3 pages con-
tanning maps showing the distribution
of the sparrow in the United States,
and Illustrations of traps and nets for
destroying the birds. The work con-
sists of q general history of the En-
glish sparrow and the method: OF its
wide dissemination in the United
States; reports from all the States
concerning its ravages in orchards
and grain fields, and suggestions as
| TO the best means of determination.
The sparrow was first imported by
Hon. Nicholas Pike, one of the direc-
tors of the Brooklyn Institute, against
the warning of naturalists and En-
glishmen who knew the birds charac-
tier at home. The first pairs were
brought over in 1850. The craze
lasted until about 1870, when many
people begen to turn upon the spar
row. But he has heen petted and
helped to immigrate, in spite of his
few enemies, until he has become q
national pest.
Reports from all the States show
that the sparrow destroys good per-
centage of the best fruit of all kinds.
He pecks the finest apples and bites
the largest cherries. He pecks the
finest lunches of grapes and destroys
the largest Strawberries and raspber-
ries. His work in the cherry tree is
most destructive. About one eighth
of the finest cherries in the cities have
been bitten by the sparrows. The
robin would steal whole cherry or
half dozen instead of pecking twenty,
In an apple tree the sparrow lights
upon the choicest, mellowest fruit and
excavates the upper portion about the
stem, causing them to rot and fall
Bushels of the finest apples are de-
stroyed in this way. In the spring
he eats the young and tender buds of
the fruit trees. His only redeeming
trait is the catching of an occasional
worm to feed the young. But when
worms are numerous he makes no ap-
preciable inroads upon them, and they
perish from other causes.
The report of the ornithologist of
the Agricultural Department urges
systemetic war upon the sparrow in
every State that he has invaded, and
the prevention of any further spread.
Farmers are warned to destroy the
first pair seen and prevent the foun-
dation of new colonies. Details of
nets for trapping sparrows in large
numbers are given. 1t is recon-
mended that sporrow clubs bo formed
ber to pledge himself to destroy n GER
tain number annually or pay fine.
Such clubs are numerous in England.
In Stratford on Avon a sparrow club
destroys about 10000 annually.
The shrille and crow and hlackbird
destroy sparrows, but neither of these
destroyers are numerous enough to be
relied upon. The sparrow is a para
site that keeps too near the dwellings,
of men to suffer much from carniver-
Gus birds. The wild birds suffer
while the miserable sparrow escapes.
The sparrow is so well acquainted
with affairs that cat may hunt many
days without catching one, while the
robin falls an easy victim. The re-
suit is, the cats destroy the city robin
while the sparrows multiply. Out
lines of the legislation against the
sparrow in several States are given.
But the people are urged to proceed
against the sparrow by all safe means
without waiting for legislation. The
report says: "rhe English sparrow
is a curse of such virulence that it
ought to be Systematically attacked
and destroyed before it becomes ne
cessary to deplete the publictreasury
for the purpose, as has been done in
other countries. By concerted action
and by taking advantage of its gre
garious habits, much good may be ac-
cemplished with little or no expendi-
ture of money"