Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-08-09
DEFENDING THE SPARROW.

Washington OF an exhaustive urea
tiSe on the character and habits OF
this bird. In several newspaper
articles Col. Nicholas Pike ha. been
designated as the person who first
brought the English sparrows to
this country for the purpose of col
Onizing them, and he has been set
upon quite fiercely for introducing
what is deemed by some to have
become a great pest. Col. Pike IS
a resident of this city, aud tins
morning a STANDARD Union reporter
called at his home at Carlton ave-
nue. and Bergen street to ascertain
if he had anything to contribute to
this interesting controversy. The
colonel was found in his laboratory
pursuing the studies IN natural
history, which have engaged his
attention during long lifetime,
and when the subject of the spar
row was introduced he laughingly
said: eyes, l bad something to do
with bringing the English sparrows
to this country, but 1 am very far
from believing all the bad things
that are said about them. But let
me give you the true history OF
their introduction. About 1851
the geometrical or hanging worms
we're devastating the shade trees OF
this city. was then director in
the BROOKLYN Institute and a mem
Der of its Natural History Society
l was made chairman OF the COM
mittee to devise means for exter-
minatlng the pests, and it was
finally decided to try the expert
ment OF importing foreign birds.
A purse was made up to which Mr.,
Perry, for many years secretary OF
Greenwood Cemetery, contributed
800, and others smaller sums. !
correspondent with ThOs, Wood.
cock, of Manchester, England, and
requested him to send skylarks,
sparrows, siskins, and blackbirds
This gentleman came to this cOun'
try and brought the sparrows
along, and they were kept in the
Brooklyn Institute for time and
then liberated in the garden at the
rear of the institute, and belonging
to the residence of Mr.. Bache.
They did not survive the cold win.
ter which followed. went to
Europe myself in 1852, and was
made a committee of one with full
power to purchase another lot of
spsrrOws, which l did, and sent
them to this country, placing them
ia care of an officer of Cunard
steamer, who liberated a portion of
the flock at the NarrOws, and the
rest were placed IN the belfry of
the building at the old entrance to
Greenwood Cemetery. They did
not thrive here and were removed
to the house of John Hopkins, on
Bergen street, who cared for them
till spring, when they we're hberat-
ed.
"These were the first English
Eparrows," said Col. Pike, "to be
introduced into this country for
colonization. Before the lntOrduc-
ton of these birds the measuring
worms made some streets almost
impossible, but the plucky little
sparrow exterminated them.
"Every spring my grapevine is
visited by troops of sparrows, and
they dig away so persistently at
the loose bark that | had the curl.
osity to watch them. Under the
old bark are laid numbers OF mi.
mute eggs of moth, and these
when hatched do infinite mischief
to the vine and spread to other
plants also. The sparrOws, I find,
clear out these eggs, as there is
little other insect food to be found
in the garden. l had some fine
rose bushes covered with aphides,
and have seen the birds work
diligently on them several at a
time till they were quite cleared.
| have often watched them on the
trees in the streets, working away
on the bark as busily as a wood
pecker, for insects. | take no
stock in the idea that sparrows
drive away song birds. Just go
into Prospect Park. where any day
NAV be seen a dozen different kinds
OF birds all bathing in the shallow
waters Peaceably with the spar
rows. saw a snow bird kill one
instantly, and it certainly would
have no chance against the king
bird and numerous others. No, it
is not the sparrow but the foul
odors from gas and sewer pipes and
the want OF privacy to rear their
young, to say nothing Of the trap
ping aud persecution OF predatory
hunters that drives away our ma
tive birds. Our cities would be
utterly destitute of bird life were
it not for the plocky little stran-
gers. The sparrow is said to kill
small birds; but look at our shrike
or butcher bird, whose life Is spent
killing young birds, tearing them
limb from limb and impaling the
pieces on the nearest thorn bush,
Tbs farmer complains Of his crops,
bot look at the blackblrd and crow
the latter pulling up the corn and
robbing every smaller birds nest
they eau find. Looked at in one