The Winslow mail., 1897-10-02
DISASTROUS EXPERIMENTS
Trouble Caused by the Importation of
Various Pests.

Trouble Caused by the Importation of
Various Pests.
Some people out in the States of the
far Northwest imported about two
years ago Il large number of European
birds of different species and turned
them loose. One species, called the
blackheaded nightingale, succumbed
to It's new surroundings and has be-
come extinct The others have thrived
and multiplied, and now the good peo-
pie Of Oregon and Washington are
watching the birds with ali interest
born of g desire to see whether they
have imported blessing or pest.
Years ago cageful of English spar
rows was brought to this country and
the Birds were turne.l loose in an East
ern park. Everybody knows the re-
suit. The importation of this English
pest nas cost the United States millions
of dollars, the loss falling principally
upon the cities, where in the great
park systems injurious insects in
creased to an extent hitherto unknown,
owing to the fact that the sparrow
instantly took to a vegetable diet him
self and drove away all the native
birds wto considered noxious insects
as the hest possible diet. DIR. Elliot
C0ues, as far back as 1867. foresaw
the result of the sparrow importation
and advised their determination while
determination was possible Henry
Rergh called Professor Coues q butcher
AMI WrOfn q 1nftnfs 81 os.1' lc,t fho
determination which was said to be
"lnodel of invective." Time has
shown that Professor Coues was in the
right, and the day has long since
passed wien the checking of the spar
row pest was possibility.
A few years ago a Massachusetts,
man imported few specimens of the
beautiful Gypsy moth for purposes of
experiment" The moth took kindly
to the country, and the effort to get
rid of him already has cost the State of
Massachusetts 100000. while the last
report Of the State E.Etomologist says
that he hopes by the expenditure of
100000 rIore to be able to declare
that the plague has vanished Moth
ing but the strenuous efforts of the
Massachusetts authorities prevented
the spread of the insects into other
States
Ten years ago there was imported in
to one of the West india islands, for
the purpose of getting rid Of the rats,
a little animal called the mongoose
The mongoose killed a few rats and
then ate up all the insect destroying
animals, such as toads, frogs, and
small. harmless snakes. 1t also ate all
the birds eggs and young birds that
it could find. The Old birds deserted
the place in a body The result was
that mosquitoes, spiders, and flies of the
biting kind increased so largely that a
great section OF the country became
untnhabitable. Now the government
is spending money to get rid of the
mOngOoSe.
The truth is that no matter how
harmless or even beneficial a bird or
beast may be in its native place it's
nature may change upon removal to
new surroundings. Once removed
NllCy Ih1J iiiHu +OOu ulOIt W t1eII 1Lh-
ing than that which they ate at home.
They instantly change their diet, and
their new provender may be the very
thing which their importers wished to
save from destruction Thus the En-
g!ish sparrow. largely an insect eater
at home, eschewed insects as a staple
diet and took to grain during the first
year thGt he was given a roosting place
in America. Experiments in the line
of anima! importation. for the purposes
of turning them loose ON the country
are dangerous. The farmers and hor-
ticulturists generally will probably
have no reason TO repine if all the birds
recently imported into the Northwest
go the way of the dodo.