The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-16
THE SPARROW.
How 1t Was First In
troduced Into This
Country.

From a bulletin of the department of
agricultural on the English sparrow, it
appears that the bird was first brought
to this country in 1850 when Hon. Nj
colas Pike of the Brooklyn Institute
imported eight pairs. Mr.. Pike gives
this account of it: I'VE built a large
cage for them and cared for them dur
ing the winter months. Early in the
spring Of 1851 they were liberated, but
they did not thrive. In 1852 commit
tee Of members of the institute was
chosen for the reintrOductiOn of these
birds. Over 5000 was subscribed for
expenses. l went to England in 1852,
and on my arrival in Liverpool l gave
the order for a large lot of sparrOWs
and song birds to be purchased at once.
They We're shipped on the steamship
Europe, in charge of an officer of the
snip Fifty sparroWs were let loose in
the NarroWs, according to instructions,
ana the rest on arrival We're placed in
the tower Of Greenwood cemetery
chapel. They did not do WELL so We're
removed to the house of John Hooper,
one OF the committee, who offered to
take care of them during the winter
IN the spring Of 1858 they We're all let
loose IN the grounds of Greenwood
II
Iheln. They did well and multiplied
ana have original notes taken from
Illne 10 time of their increase and
cGIonlzation over our great country"
Inc true name of this bird. says
Writer in the Boston Transcript, is the
mouse sparrow" The name English
sparrow IS a misnOmer, as the species
IS not confined to England, but is ma
i've 10 nearly the whole of Europe. The
Iact that most of the birds brought to
america came from England explains
lIe origin OF the misleading name by
men 1t is now so widely known that
any attempt to change it would be
futile. The Tapidity Of increase of the
sparrow has long been proverbial 1t IS
hardy, prolific and aggressive bird,
possessed of much intelligence and
more than ordinary cunning. 1t takes
advantage of the protection afforded by
proximity to man, thus escaping nearly
ali the enemies which check the in
crease OF our native birds. Moreover,
Tor many years it was looked upon with
favor, and both food and shelter were
provided. 1t is no unusual thing for a
single pair, in the latitude of New York.
or farther south. to rear twenty or
thirty young in the course of a year.
Assuming the product of a pair to be
tWenty-fOur young, and assuming fur
ther, for the sake of computation, that
all live, together with their offspring.
1t will be seen that in ten years the
progeny of a single pair would be 275,-
1888, SOS. Of course the actual increase
of the sparrow is but a small fraction
of this, which is based on assumptions, /
some of which at least are not likely to
be realized. But if we reduce the annual
number of young per pair to twelve,
still assuming that half are males and
half females. and allow that all live
even for five years. we shall have as the
total increase of one pair in that time
80 6l4 birds. In some cases it would seem
as if these figures had actually been
reached. so rapid has been the increase /
at certain places, but it is probable that
in almost all cases the original stock in /
any town consists of several pairs, and
these are usually increased from time
to time by accessions from neighboring
cities. The tremendous record of in |
crease shows what an emphatic figure |
was: Not a sparrow falleth to the |
ground"
During the first fifteen years of the !
sparrow's colonization Of America, the