Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-07-26


taste. They introduced the sparrow int
towns all over the Union, and coddled it as
if it were mans best and most usefu
friend. Yet, as was foreseen by all orni
biologists, multiplying enormously under
such favoring circumstances, it has rapid
| ly made of itself an intolerable nuisance
| against which severe measures must be
taken. Its fecundity is amazing, a single
pair often rearing from 20 to 30 young in
the course of the year, and as the sparrow
enjoys the protection afforded by the prox.
unity of man, it is saved from enemies
which check the increase of other birds.
If we assume the annual product of pair
to be 81 young, half male and half female,
and that all live, in ten years the total
progeny would be 21j, 7l6, $3.50, sos OF
course the actual increase is only small
fraction of that total, but it is enormous
In its centuries of experience as parasite
upon man, the sparrow has developed ex
traordinary intelligence in avoiding the at
tacks of other animals Cats are far more
successful in catching the wariest of our
native birds than in catching the sparrow.
Very few of our native birds kill it or eat
its eggs and young, the most useful in that
respect being the northern shrike, which
visits most of our northern cities during
the winter and feeds freely ON the sparrow.
But the sparrow enthusiasts went so far as
to wage war on the shrike because of this
disposition. The blue jay tackles the spar
row in some of the towns of the Mississippi
valley, but in this region it is rarely seen
in summer and therefore does it little dam
age The sparrow hawk and the screech
owl pursue it successfully besides, they
eat large numbers of insects and rarely at
Lap.la old
is an enterprising and remorseless enemy
of very many other birds, and because of
this disposition and its fighting qualities it
accompishes some of its worst damage
The sparrow is grain eater by prefer
ence, the notion as t. its being an insectiv-
orous bird hav ing be | its in in the most
astonishing il torrance on the part of the
original importers. There is no doubt that
it is injurious to grain, to seeds of various
kinds, that it causes decrease in the mum
her of native birds in gardens and on farms,
and also in cities and towns, and that it is
pest on many accounts but if the spar
rows consumed great quantities of injuri-
GUS insects, they would serve some com
pensating useful purpose. Unfortunately,
1t is not an habitual insect eater. 1t does
not prefer insect food, and there is no spe
cies of insect which is not much oftener de
voured by native birds that the sparrow
drives off.
The good and bad characteristics of the
sparrow had been discussed in Europe for
centuries before the bird was brought hth-
er by the enthusiasts, and yet they paid no
heed to the warnings of European expert
ence. Mr.. Jabez Webster, who made in
quiries in England about the bird reports
that intelligent farmers and horticulturists
were everywhere astopished that we should
have introduced so destructive and worth.
less bird" into this country. Since the
sparrow has become better known, the
same surprise begins to be expressed here,
and now in many regions of the country
the question of the best methods of getting
rid of it is under consideration. In some
cases laws protecting the sparrows have
been repealed, and the state of Michigan
offers bounties for their destruction. A
general and immediate repeal of all laws
favoring the bird is recommended, and the
enactment of laws legalizing the killing of
them at every season of the year and the
destruction of their nests, eggs and young,
and making it Il misdemeanor to give them
food or shelter Intentionally, or to intro
duce them into new regions Laws should
also be passed to protect the shrike or butch
owl, as natural enemies of the sparrow
The case against the sparrow is summed
up by speaking of it as a curse of such viz
ulence that it ought to be Systematically at
tackled and destroyed. Yet we invited the
evil, or rather the ignorance of would-b
benefactors imposed it on us. 1t is only
another example of mistaken philanthropy.
N. Y. Sun.
The above article summarizes the results
of a careful official inquiry into the history,
habits, and good and bad characteristics of
the English sparrow made by the ornithol-
ogist of the agricultural department. The
inquiry has been in progress for two years
or more, it covers a wide territory, and its
results have just been printed in govern
ment document or bulletin of 400 pages
The conclusions reached are entirely against
the sparrow When these birds were first
introduced into this country it was supposed
that they would show themselves universal
insect killers and rid the country of pests
which ruined fruit and shade trees, small
fruits, gardens and grain crops, But they
hade done nothing of the kind 1t is con
coded that they do destroy limited mum
Der of insects, especially when rearing
their young, but their main food is grain
and seeds. These birds congregate by
preference in cities and villages, where
they drive away the native birds, detile
public and private buildings, monuments,
and the leaves of vines and trees with their
filth, and do great injury TO vegetables,
fruits, flowers and crops of all kinds grow,
ing in and near such places. They also in
wade thckly- settled farming districts and
prey upon crops of almost every kind
The true name of the bird is the house
sparrow, and he was so named because he
made his home on or about human habita-
tons instead of going into country districts
like most other birds The curious thing
about it is that the character of the pest
has been known and discussed in France
Germany and Great Britain for 400 years,
but in spite of this certain misguided phil
anthropists" thought they were doing this
country a priceless favor in bringing him
here In far away Australia he is as much
nuisance as he is here
This government report goes so far in its
condemnation as to advise the sparrow's de
struction wherever found, and says it ought
to be made an offence against the laws to feed,
harbor or protect it in any way. This work
of destruction has been systematically at
tempted in some of the western states aud
the most available means of killing them
by wholesale are described, as destroying
the nests and young, trapping by nets,