Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-07-18
THE STATE.
THE SPARROW IN MICHIGAN.
RepOrt OF the Agricultural Depart
ment's OrnithOlOgist.

ReDOrt Of the Agricultural Depart
ments 0rnith0lOgist.
The first bulletin Of the newly establish
cd division OF Economic Ornithologists and
Mammaogy OF the department of agricul'
ture just issued is devoted TO the English
sparrow question, which, TO quote Prof.
Merriam, the distinguished ornithOlogist OF
the department, has grown TO be serious
problem in economic science, particularly
so far as the agricultural interests OF the
country are concerned-and the term agri-
culture must be here understood in its
broadcast and most comprehensive sense as
including the grain growing industries,
truck gardening, fruit growing, the cultiva
ton OF flowers and ornamental shrubs and
vines, ana even forestry
From the bulletin (Which Is volume of
more than 400 pdges) many interesting
facts are obtained concerning the introduc-
ton, spread and habits OF this bird in
Michigan IL now exists in every part OF
the lower peninsula, but is not general in
the upper. A large part OF the bulletin is
given up TO reports from different observ
ers in the various states. Most of the re-
ports made from Michigan indicate that
the bird bears a pretty hard name in most
parts OF our state, although there are some
exceptions. Postmaster Glover OF Cassopo-
lis, SAYS: at does not inlure fruits of
vegetables. 1t is thought by some that our
immense crop Of fruit is due TO its pres
ence." Frank Little of Kalamazoo, says:
III have an extensive garden OF fruit (par-
ticularly grapes, vegetables, sweet corn
and flowers. While the sparrows frequent
the street in front OF my house, | have new
or seen them doing any harm in the gar
dem
Commenting on this Prof. Merriam says
"Fhere is nothing whatever in these state.
ments which is open to question. They
are statements of fact, and as such should
be accepted as evidence, but it should be
remembered that this is merely negative
evidence, and only tends 10 prove that the
sparrow does not always feed upon fruit,
even when readily accessible. 1t takes
nothing from the force of the positive evil
dence already given, and the only point Of
difficulty which it raises Is the question
why the bird should eat fruit only at times
instead of at all times, IA question which
could be certainly and fully answered If we
had all the data naturally pertaining TO the
case. Failing this, we can only say that
probably food of other kinds was so abun-
dant the sparrows took but little fruit any.
where, and this little was found more
easily elsewhere, or was taken unobserved
and was never missed. Or, perhaps the
very abundance of fruit and tho limited
numbers OF the birds prevented any notice
able damage. The fact that the sparrows
are not actually seen doing the mischief is
never surprising to one who has watched
them closely, for they are among the most
wary and cunning of birds. especially after
they have been detected once in mischief
OF any kind There is every reason to be-
lieve, however that the taste for fruit is
one which not all English sparrows acquire,
or which at least is not held TO the same ex-
tent by all. "
OF the act passed by the Michigan legis
latIre in 1851, offering a bounty of one
cent apiece for English sparrows in lots of
not less tn twenty live, Prof Merriam
says: "For various reasons this law does
not appear TO answer the purpose intended.
4, a
in some respects. Thus, in Wayne county,
Of which Detroit is the county seat, no
bounties have been paid, owing to the fact
that the county treasurer has no authority
to pay anything except on the warrant OF
the board of auditors, and the bounty act
provides only Tor payment on certificates
issued by the clerk of township, village or
city. The act provides, furthermore, that
the bounties shall be paid from the con-
tingent fund of the county, and in some
cases the county supervisors have failed
to make any provision for such payment.
The proviso that not less than twenty five
heads can be presented AT once, and the
nee essity of going or sending TO the county
seat, are features which deter many per-
sons from availing themselves of the act,
but, eYen were all these obstacles removed
IL seems probable that the offer of one
ceut a head would not be large enough TO
tempt many persons TO engage in the bust.
ness of killing sparrOwS In reply 10 re-
quests sent TO the county treasurers
throughout the state, reports have been re-
ceived from forty one counties.
These reports cover large part of
the area in which sparrows are most nu-
merous, and may be taken, therefore, as
fair sample of the whole state; yet i'm
twenty. two OF these counties no sparrows
whatever have been presented for bounty.
The largest number reported thus far from
any one county is from Kent county, $500
sparrows for the first year in which the
law Was operative. The reports from two
other counties are similarly incomplete,
giving returns for only a small part of the
time, but by estimating as above, an APP
Proclamation to the actual number has been
obtained, and the total number of spar
rows killed, FOR bountes in these forty
one counties is aboat 5000. or an average
of 31o for county. AS there are 81 coun-
ties in Michigan, this gives 81 900 sparrows,
number utterly insignificant in fact not
more than were actually trapped by a
single enterprisng man in indianapolis,
during the past two years No data are at
hand on which to base even an approximate
estimate of the total NUM- err of sparrow5
in the state of Michigan, but as there must
be many millions at east il is evident that
the present bounty law not only fails TO
lessen the total at all, but probably does
not eject the destruction Of per cent of
the annual increase. Doubtless the entire
81 900 might have been killed within the
city limits of Detroit without making any
noticeable difference in the number of
spLrrows in that CITY,"
DhN NIEAI