The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-07-12
THE SPARROWS A PEST.
Multiplication in the United States
Without Precedent.

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Multiplication in the United States
without Precedent.
The English sparrow migrated to the
United States in 1850, under the pa tronage
of Nicholas Pike and other directors of the
Brooklyn Institute of Brooklyn, N. Z.
There were eight pairs of these birds OF
prey. They were Matched at LIVERPOOL In
the summer of $50, and released at Brook
Ign in the spring of 1851. These birds
grew homesick in the forest Of steeples and
died.
in 1852 q committee of the members oil
the Institute was chosen to Ieintroduoe the
sparrow Nicholas Pike, who mad been
appointed minister of the United States
TO Portugal, obtained flock of sparrows
at Liverpool, and shipped them to the
United states on the Old steamboat Europa
one of the early transa tlantic ferryboats
OF the side wheel type. Fifty Of these spar
rows were liberated as the Europa was pass
ing through the Narrows. In the spring of
1853 the remainder OF these binds Were
released in Greenwo Cemetery, Brook
Ign.
We designate 1t "the English sparrow
because he fist of these feathered coionists
came to US frcm England, but this species
OF sparrow is no NOE English than u Is
Irish, and no less French or German than
it is IIlsn. It's true name is house spar
row. and it is native 10 nearly all Europe.
A colony of these birds was setS.ed at
Portland. Me-, in 1S54, and between 1860
and 1865 colonies had been established
on Fost0n Common, In Central Park, in
Madison Square and in Union Square. In
the succeeding ten years SO viruient hat
the sparrow craze become that hundreds
of colonies were imported from Great
Britain and Germany and introduced INTO
American cities as far west as San Fran
cisco, Stockton and Sacramento and as
far south as Jacksonville, New Orleans
AMI Galveston.
Several pairs We're obtained at New
York In 1870 and liberated at Washing
ton. Between that date and 1875 they
had been introduced into the following
Virginia towns: Culpeper, Fredericksburg,
Lynchburg, Norfolk, Richmond, Salem,
Suffolk, Warrenton and Wytheville. The
birds that were turned loose at CulpepeT
were transported from Washington.
The multiplication of the sparrow in
the United States is without precedent
in the history Of any other bird. 1t is
explained by the fact that man carried
1t from one place to another. The adapt
ability of the bird is another reason for
its remarkable increase. Then 1t found
the conditions for existence very favor
able in the United States II flouris!Ies
In the cold winters of Canada and the burn
ing summers of Australia.
The reason for the introduction OF the
sparrow is found probably In the fact that
much Of our population, Particularly in new
parts OF the country, was of European on
gin. These people Were unappreciative OF
the native birds, but recolIected with
pleasure the chipping, hustling little spar
rows OF their home land The ornitholo-
gsts Of the Department OF Agriculture be-
licvc that the larger part OF sparrow
colonization was accomplished by Eng
lish, German and French settlers in tie
United States. Then the sparrow boom
was urged on by reports that it was an
insect vorous bird.
The Sparrow is a city bird by habit, hut
where food is plentiful in the country they
make their residence there.
In this latitude the sparrow raises from
four 20 six broods Il year. In Washington
the first young leave the nests in April,
though they do not appear in numbers till
May. Some leave the nests in August, some
in September and few in October. \ few
eggs are laid in December and January,
though the young rarely pull through these
months.
II is exceedingly probable that spar
row Matched in the early spring pair md
rear young during the ensuing summer
The fecJndity of this bird is great, and
often a single pair in this latitude will
turn ont thirty fledgeliDgs in the course 0l
a year If the annual product OF one pail
should be twenty-four, twelve males and
twelve females, and should all OF them
live, the progeny OF one pair in ten years
would be 275,716,963,69S
The SPARROW has his enemies The
most useful bird in this way is the North
ern sbrike. which feeds on sp9Trows This
bird invaded Boston a few years ago. but
the authorities in that seat of wisdom,
believing that the sparrow was of some &C
count. hired men to shoot the shrikes
Down South the blue jay will tackle any
sparrow that happens to come its way, and
will often destroy its nest, break its eggs
and kill its young. The purple cracklc
will also do the sparrow on sight. The
sparrow-hawk and the scrccch owl simply
look upon the so-called English sparrow as
pie These birds are strictly Amer
can. and never shrk a scrap with their
European friends. These birds rarely come
around a city, and this is one reason why
the imported birds cling 20 the haunts OF
man. The sparrow is a bird of the street,
and would rather steal grain and crumbs
than hustle for insects, as DO most of the
American birds.
The farmers of Great Britain regard the
sparrow as pest CalaInitOus results have
followed his Introduction into Australia and
New Zealand. Damage 10 vines. shrubs
and trees is wrought by the roosting habit
Of the spaI row and he is a wantOn destroyer
of the buds and blossoms of fruit trees.
The sparrow will strip whole branches of
their blossoms, thereby dimis shIng the
injury to grape vines, plum, currant orange
and fig trees. The method of attack on
the fruit tree is to pluck the embryo fruit
from the heart of the blossom. Then, as
the fruit ripens, 1t is attacked These at
tacks are made with vigor upon berries.
especially upon strawberries, blackberries
and mulberries. Tomatoes also suffer,
while the sparrow likes pea blossoms,
young beans and the leaves OF young let
tuce, cabbage, beets and turnips. He is
also a destroyer Of garden seeds. The spar
to nourish all the chickens In the United