Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-06-11
DEFENSE OF THE SPARROW.
A Kind Word for This Much Abused Rep.
rebate,


rebate.
In the hungriest times never see the
sparrow attack his marrows in size or
nearly so; and, what is very much more
to the purpose, I never see, nor ever
have seen, any signs of apprehension,
of even striking recognition on the part
of other small birds. occasioned by the
advent of one or a dozen sparrows. If
a cat or kitten, or even a dog, shows
itself anywhere near, up fly the birds,
some into the ivy, some to the neighbor-
ing thorn. the blacl1birds and so on to
more distant shelter. If / show myself
abruptly at the window, much the same
sort of stampede takes place. But
the advent of whole troop of sparrows
makes not the slightest apparent diff
ference to the company assembled,
hedge-sparrows, chaffinches. robins. or
what not. To be sure, if one of the
new arrivals seems to affect morsel to
which robin has already attached
himself, or even appears likely to direct
his attention that way, the robin, in
nine cases out of ten, gives him de-
cided hint with his sharp bill to keep
out of that" and l never yet saw even
the pawkiest sparrow venture to stand
up to the aggressive redbreast.
AS to what | have seen we'll called
1.-The ridiculous notion of his driving
other birds away" or "displacing other
birds more valuable than himself" or
having to do with the diminution in the
numbers of white-throats. chatfinches,
and tits, and all the rest of that far
4
question the alleged facts on which it
is made to depend as deny them alto
Gether. 1t is fact that during the
severe snowy weather we had few
weeks ago my usual number of PEN
sioner sparrows had dwindled down to
four or five couple in place of the pris-
tine ten, twelve or fifteen couple. But
l do not allege it as n fact that these
diminished numbers are due to league
of the starlings (who were present to
the number of four pairs, contrary to
all precedent), robins, cuddies, chat
finches, ETC., formed against the
sparrows; although if did, it would be
just as reasonable and just as well sup
ported as these contrary statements
under notice. used to see great hocks
of greentinches, numbering many scores,
sometimes even two or three hundreds,
in our corn stubbles during the late
autumn and early winter, while of late
years the numbers are strangely re-
duced. But think there is another
way of accounting for such diminution
besides attributing it to any cause ana
logous to the alleged hostile action of
the sparrow-a cause too, much more
in harmony with the ascertained laws
of nature. There are fewer slovenly
farmers than there used TO be. The
greenfnches had what gardener of
mine once termed "a lavishing time of
it." when whole farms had their corn
| fields yellow with charlock while the
corn was growing, and strewed with its
seeds after harvest. And real observers
know well enough that the questions
of adequate supply of food and varying
climatic Influences have more to do
| with the presence or absence of birds
in successive seasons than any such
utterly inadequate causes as the al
| legged hostility or usurping aggression
of some other, and especially only a
single, species of birds. s.-Macmillan'
Magazine.