Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-09
SMALL BOYS THE CAUSE.
DR.. Shufeldt Thinks They Are Responsible
for Song Bird Destruction.
SparrOvs Harmless Compared with
Redress-WhOlesale Destruction.

In an interesting paper read by DIR. r.
w. Shufeldt of this city before the division
of ornithology at the worlds congress
auxiliary at Chicago some valuable refer
cnces were made to the prevalence of the
English sparrow in this country.
For a number of years past, he said, It
has been noticeable that in the suburban
districts of many cities of the country
there has been a marked decrease in num-
Der of many native birds. and in some
places certain species have become prac-
tically extinct. DIR. Shufeldt did not be-
lieve that this was due as largely to the
English sparrows as to other causes, one
of which he esteems to be the Introduction
of large lighting plants into the cities. by
means of which he thinks thousands of
birds are killed every night.
As Fighter.
For more reasons than one" he said,
the introduction of the English sparrow
into this country was an expensive blunder.
but that they are chiefly responsible for the
disappearance OF many of our native species
of birds in the localities we have mentioned.
l never have in that view been a firm be-
lever, and my faith is not increased as
time goes by. In the first place. 1t directly
initiates against every personal observa-
ton have ever made in the premises. and
] have faithfully studied the species for
many years. Many Of our native birds
whip the English sparrows in each and all
contests where they come in contact, and
drive them out Of the nesting places. They
almost invariably give way before robins,
catbirds, wrens, martins and many others.
Bluebirds appear to be more tinid and gen.
tie and they simply keep out of the spar
rows way and make no attempt to oppose
W on or fnnt ions 10 Sf
spring have seen the common house wren
deliberately hustle sparrows out of bird
box, where they had bred the season before
and reoccupy 1t themselves.
Wholesale Destruction.
But there is a cause. in my opinion" he
goes on, for the scarcity of native birds in
and about cities and large towns, before
which all other reasons stand absolutely
aghast. 1t Is the wholesale destruction car
ried on by the army Of INSCRIPTIONS small
boys In any particular place. / am the
more convinced Of this from my observa-
tons in and about Washington during the
past four years. This active destruction has
been made possible by the numerous COM
Earatively cheap inventions in the way Of
air and spring guns. as well as cheap rifles
of small caliber: also other fatal con-
trivances that will noiselessly throw mis-
siles of q variety OF kinds with great ac-
curacy; Hunoreos OF these guns are sold
annually to boys, and the latter never
seem to tire of strolling about orchards and
hedge rows and knocking over dozens upon
dozens of birds with them. One day last
spring / met one such youngster, and upon
examining his game bag found il abso-
lutely crammed full of dead birds which he
had killed since starting out that morning.
One item alone consisted of seventy-two
ruby and golden-crowned kinglets. The
same fellow boosted of having killed over
one hundred cat birds that season. Boys
get to be wonderfully expert shots with the
kind of guns to which 1 refer. and as the
ammunition costs little or nothing, and a
great quantity can be carried at a time, il
is easy to be seen that between the whole
sale slaughter they can and do commit. in
addition to keeping the remaining birds