The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-10-28
THE rH,sNplrss SPARROW.


England Declares war on the Bird Pest
His Career In the United states.
Ever since the ancient and rather
boastful declaration Of the sparrow.
that he had killed Cock Robin, large
portion Of mankind has believed that
the sparrow. the English sparrow.
should pay the full penalty for the
crime. and his self-appointed Judges
and executiouers have been legion. But
he has lived and thrived In spite Of
them. Other crimes of many kinds
have been charged against him In
many countries; q price has been put
on his head In this land Of the frea,
and he has been declared an outlaw by
state government and municipalities.
The department OF agriculture has
Illuminated lis lightnings against him
from Washington. and learned societies
have Numbered his doom. But every
spring he chirps and twitters with re-
newed vigor. and mates and nests and
grows in number amazingly. Now.
however, the cable brings the news
that he has been condemned in the
house Of his friends, In Merry Eng
land itself. Mr.. william B. Teget.
meier, q naturalist OF renown and an
author whose word on scientific sub
jects carries great weight, has pub
lished book about the sparrow. and
in it declares that the bird is . pest,
and that in England alone he inflicts
damage which amounts yearly to mill
lions Of pounds strellng. Through all
his trials and during all the crusades
against him the pert and clipper spar
row has had hosts Of warm friends who
have defended him CALAMITY and have
met the onslaughts Of his enemies with
all the vigor and often with the bitter
ness OF Jealous partisans. But what
can they say now? Found guilty BY a
Judge In his own, home. what remains
but to pass the sentence Of death upon
him finally and forever? 1t seems clear
that the confessed murderer Of Cock
Robin is doomed for good and all and
that at last the sparrow must go. That
looks simple and easy, but II isn't. for
little Mr.. Sparrow In answer to the
condemnation. and the sentence OF the
court will simply cock his head on
one side and ask: well, what are you
going to do about 1T" And his SUI
preme confidence Is justified by expert
ence. Ever since he was first intro
duced into this country from his ma
tive heath. about nfty years ago. he has
prospered and multiplied immensely In
spite Of all efforts to keep him In
check. and against convuisions OF ma
ture and the Vaccinations Of powers
and principalities." The blizzard Of
1883 came, and he was frozen by the
tens Of thousands. One storm In the
summer of 1893 scattered dead spar
rows through the city parks and in
country lanes ''as thick as leaves that
strew the wales Of vallombrosa." Pot
hunters have sought his life and sold
him by thousands as reed birds. Small
boys with air guns and pea shooters
have been his scourge, and the man
who spread nets under his roosting
place at night and shook him down TO
death In hundreds has BEEN lis bane.
But he has lived on and brought up
his wonderfully increasing families
year by year. Poison has been tried.
but 1t was found that other birds and
animals were hurt more than the spar
row, who Just winked and passed by
on the other side from the envenomed
morsel. Boston has lately been stirred
up against the sparrow. The Ameri-
can Society OF Bird Destroyers. whose
headquarters are there, and whose OBJ
ject 1t is to bring back native song
birds which have been driven out by
one means or another. has taken up the
cudgels against the slayer Of Cock Rob
in, and is carrying on lively crusade
against him. A petition thirty feet
long was presented to Mayor Quincy.
asking that steps be taken to extermi-
nate the hated bird, and the mayor
went into the work with a will. The
method which is being tried in Bos-
ton to execute the condemned criminals
Is to destroy his nests and eggs, and
the enemies OF the bird hope for great
results from the warfare. The Bos-
ton Indictment against the sparrow In
cludes his crimes against Cock Robin
and other mild-mannered birds, whom
he drives away with his vicious and
nagging tactics. as we'll as his destruc-
tiveness to trees and shrubs and his
general course as a public nuisance