Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-12
SOME BIRD FRIENDS.
APPARENT SOCIAL STATUS OF CROWS
AND SPARROWS

AND SPARROWS.
The Ubiquitous Little Marauder and the
Sable Devourer of Carton Seem to Thrive
In the Same Localitfes-They Follow Man
and Civilization.
The ubiquity of the sparrow is truly re-
markable, and the wonder continually
grows as to the pioneer instincts of this
checklist of all birds. think the sparrow
even outdoes the Hindoostanee crow for his
contempt of all mankind. In India the
crow hangs about the house like some dis
reputable friend whom you would like to get
rid of, but fear the consequences Of his dis
missal. He hops jauntily from the babachi
khana (cookhouse) to the veranda, where
the chota hazrae, or little breakfast, is be-
ing served, and nimbly steals a toasting
crust on the open brazier or makes a sud
den swoop upon the table and successfully
seizes and carries off choice morsel
He snatches from the hands of children
their buttered bread and stalks away with
head on one side to some secure place, there
to devour his thievish gain Indeed the
Hindoostanee declare he is the very soul of
their devil, and have therefore some respect
for this sleek black bird Stone a crow or
kill one, and no rest will come to that I'M
fortunate house for days or weeks From
each tree top will come an avenging cav,
and when a multitude of Threats give vent
to multitudes of caws the din is terrifying.
There is some sort of comradeship be-
tween the sable bird and the quaker spar
row. Both are found in the most unfre-
quented places. For many years the crow
and the sparrow were the only birds of the
desert, except some strange little fellow
who was wing weary and had halted for n
few brief moments on his way. 1t is also
astonishing when one comes to realize it,
the increase in bird population in the waste
places of the globe, and l am compelled to
the belief that birds have to leave their
birthplaces and wander abroad just as we
have to do. Some 80 years ago, when there
was no Riverside and that locality was but
q wind swept sheep range, there were no
birds there, but with cultivation have come
hundreds of songsters, whose CHEEKY music
can be heard among the pretty grounds of
those artistic homes.
Arizona, as far as can judge from my
hasty visits, is birdless, but the works that
are being inaugurated along the ella and
Colorado rivers will soon bring in an i'm
migration. 1t is queer how these birds
know where food is to be found, and it is
queerer still how they disseminate their
knowledge. Here the birds are getting too
plentiful, when not five years ago a bird
was indeed a rara avis, and what mischief
these little sparrows and linnets can do!
dollars worth of early fruit in spring they
continue their destructive war till late in
winter, and when the heads of the tender
| alfalfa are just springing through the soil
peck, peck go the birds and each succulent
sprig is eaten.
They find plenty of amusement, do these
little fellows. The seed of the sagebrush
| is steadily falling, and myriads of them de-
vote their attention to that, alternating be
tween the desert and the barns 1t is pa
thetic when one comes to consider how
soon man can establish friendly relations
with these little monsters. All birds are
possessed of considerable confidence and
no sooner do they know you are harmless
than they take entire possession of you and
your belongings. | had box of barley on
| the porch, which was Immediately confis
Gated On my first venture on the stoop II
cloud of dust and feathers from the
box On my second visit few of the late
arrivals fed. On my third visit the birds
never left the grain, and subsequently they
quarreled and fought and chartered as if
were some Illuminate log. or at least their
ward
1t is difficult. OH tbs other hand to con
| ciIiate a crow. The average desert crow Is
yet an uneducated b!r! and hovers no;
| about the house awaiting tlIr dropping OF
| some tidbit. He prefers rather TO hunt in
| the vineyard the orchard and * ilS furi
Gus an enemy to the field mouse ard the
| kangaroo rat is cat. What pests. too,
| are these kangaroo rats, and the crow who
| will attack, kill and eat these wretched 70
| dents deserves the full rneed of praise The
| kangaroo rat is rightly named. He is white,
with long tail, and hops about like his
namesake of Australia He burrows Inn
mense holes, and a truthful rancher once
| told me he had poured IS inches of water
] into one of their burrows for rs hours and
| vet the tunnel never showed signs of filling.
| "They must be at the bottom of the earth, F"
| he ref1ectively remarked, and concluding
| said, THE mischief of it is he always Sc
| lects the finest land" which shows they are
| not wanting in good sense.
| The quail now is more OF a nuisance than
| ever and all through the operation of the
coyote law. The coyote is the desert farm
| er's friend He eats the rabbits who gnaw
| the trees and he breakfasts sumptuously on
| quail, which destroy the early fruit. Mr..
| Gale of Indio had his crop of grapes almost
entirely destroyed by these voracious birds.
They settled in great clouds upon ms vine
| ward and as the berries ripened they ate.
| The whir of their wings as they arose from
| the vines reminded one Of some huge piece
of machinery suddenly started
The quail on the desert, of which there
| are three kinds-the desert, the mountain
and the valley-are by no means shy and
! have SO little been disturbed by hunters
| that they 18ll an easy PREY, pub ~ 10 dAAloS'
| impossible to bag them unless with dog
They are the nimblest of runners and art
never SO unwise as to rise to a shot, but will
scurry in the thick underbrush and hide
there so cunningly that one may almost
tread on them before they will move. Great
Il their vitality, and they will carry of
more shot in their heads and live than would
M ETHIOPIAN from Dahomey. However
severely they may be wounded, they make
| |. t;tter 1oht against capture, and their frs,