The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-10-10
HARD TO ExrERMlNATE.
The English Sparrow Survives tho war
fare Against Him.

Lewiston man-Uncle Robert VIII
liams Quimby-has found what he
claims will rid the city Of the English
sparrows, which he thinks are a pest.
OF course, many of us would seriously
miss the saucy, good-natured little fei-
lows that chatter around the windows
and build nests in caves and behind signs
with the most utter disrespect to the
feelings and tastes of the owners. There
are thousands and thousands of them IN |
every section of the city, and 1T is the
belief of many people that they drive
away the other birds; but in the spring
the Baltimore oriole plays among the
trees in the resident part of the city,
the robin nests in the tall trees in the
outskirts, and frequently is seen in the
city all summer; the bulejay is seen In
his season, the pine grosbeak makes us
a pleasant call, and the nighthawk
"speaks" over our heads all the pleasant
evenings of the long summer. The
doves, a half-dozen kinds of them, nest
in every belfry tower, and the jolly.
clannish English sparrow hops about
the streets, keeping them clean.
But Mr.. Quimby wants them killed off,
and after long study on the subject
has devised means at once melan-
choly and tragic. He has invented
disease that will kill them all within
year of the day that it is unbottled
among them--so he says. He got his
ideas from German professor, who un-
dertook not long ago to rid Australia
of the rabbit curse. This German said
that he could introduce chickenpox
among the rabbits of Australia and kill
them off in no time. He did so, andthe
rabbits in several sections died like
sheep. but the disease soon ceased to
spread.
Mr.. Quimby thinks that the disease
he has found is similar to the sickness
that has recently spread so fast among
the Maine turkeys and has killed them
off, SO that to-day you'll hardly find one
on ride through the country. He
caught several birds and experimental
with the germs of different human dis
eases, but none of them would "tale."
Then he fed them on certain kind of
food and they died in an hour. He put
fresh birds into the cage with them and
they died also, in the same way. He has
| become certain that the disease thus
started is very contagious and will rid
the city of birds in a short time if it is
let loose among them.
But he has misgivings. Suppose that
the death of so many birds should cause
q pest among the plucked bipeds, too?
1t would be no laughing matter then.
Another Lewiston man says that he
believes the sparrows do great deal of
good They keep the streets clean and
the city free from the accumulation of
decaying matter. A piece of bread can
not be dropped in back alley without a
dozen birds being around it in moment
and in an hour the piece is gone. This
man has to suggest, however, that if the
people want to be rid of the pest, as
they call the bright little fellows, they
can follow the example of a western
city, which hired-he says-an expert
to kill them. The expert bought large
amount of yeast-thousands of cakes
in fact, cut them up in small bits. One
morning the streets were found to be
covered with these pieces of yeast. BY
sunrise thousands and thousands o
English sparrows were seen picking W
the pieces. Soon the edges of the water
ing troughs were lined with the birds
drinking as fast as they could. Wher
they had drunk for awhile the bird
would rise up in the air and-pop! they
would explode like firecracker and fal
to the ground. 1t needed no secont
lose of yeast to complete the task.
City Marshal Teel suggests that h,
vas always told that the best way t
catch bird was to put salt upon hi
, tail! He says that if it is the opinion
of the inhabitants that the English spar
, rows must go, he will have the dog OF
ficer commence on this task as sool
: as he has captured all of the unlicensed
r dogs in the city.
Mr.. w. b. Bunker, of Lewiston, ha
: recently built martin house, which h
says will contain them. The Englisl
/ sparrows will drive out anything froI
the kind of birdhouse that will ALLOW
, crowd of them to get into it at once
. little fellows are at disadvantage, an
. will not try more than once to dislodg
. the martins. He says that he has bui
martin houses before and knows where
Of he speaks.
The plan that some one has suggeste
of trapping the sparrows with Hte;
traps is cruel and not feasible. Thoma
- Mansfield, of Strawberry place, ofte
expressed himself as against the .pla
of the traps. They would catch to
II many of his valuable blooded doves. h
does not try to trap the hawks that to
u ment him on that account.
Many. farmers place steel traps G
the top of poles and bait them wit
|" meat, but if they should try that at Il
Strawberry place dove farm some I
y these fine tumbler doves might
oourhf In, fba ca,ua wav-T avVictC