The sun., 1901-08-24

of the sparrow's appearance. The robins
ana song birds Were no exceptions. Years
after the arrival of the sparrows, nh,,
while complaints about their driving the
native birds away, were rife, men sSd
boys armed with shot guns, and tny
rifles, were prowing over the vacant lots
of this city cunning for robins and larks.
When the desire for killing the birds
seemed at its height, AMI when they h ID
been hunted ard killed. or driven away,
AID had becnm, timid in the constant ex.
pectntion of attack, came the rugliacuus
sparrow: ard Of course the hunted and
tmid native birds ran away from them.
Study of the matter we think will shoW
Il change in the bird relations. The birds
are becoming bettcracquaintcd with en- b
other. and since the men and hoys hrvc
quit fighting anl killing them the native
birds are not only more numerous hlt
are not so timid. The spariows have
come 10 understand that the robins. aGd
other native birds. do not interfere with
thcnl-,lo not cncroach upon their fod
preserves; and, therefore. more tolerant
relations have been established.
There is another reason which may
probably have something to do with tins
imprcN "mcnt. Tho spalrows are natives
of Il land where life is more Of Il struggle.
and where the lrlations between the com.
pctitors in the iifr race are not 80 plol-
SAINT rs here, Just now tn" crop cmli.
tions of Europe show that its fields ami
farms do not produce enough To feed its
people. 1t may not occur 10 many ill., t
such condition would have anything
to 10 with bird characteristics or cond..
items. But it doubtless will he rcmnnl.
hrrcd that this con lition has hccGnlc
chronic in Europe, and that the food
question there is a very much more scr
ions on than here: il may nppc:r
reasonable that even the birds in Enropc
have 10 hustle and contlivr in order 10
live, Ill Il Way not known in this cnun-
try where the pro.ligality ia the rsp uf
fnod is oar Of the things which the rr t
Of the world marvcls ut. Now we think
il Just possible that experience has some
wEat changed the disposition of th,
sparrow. plnity has made, il M re- iii,
cral. Finding. first. TINT there is pl 'nty
for cvcrybndy and thing in this country.
and scconl-mcn and women find that
cut too-ihat Americans do not f., upon
exactly the same quality of food thai
Europeans de, the spurrt W does not have
TO tight for lis favuritc fcaStS. Naturally
those experiences ana conditions Affect
even birds. We believe they are affect
ing the sparrow in way to improve it.
We started out to say something 10
SHOW that the SparrJw is not an alec
gethcr useless cumnrcr of the ground.
llr bird is said tr b. very fond Of tli.
measuring w"im that sometimes PLAYS
haNor with the trees Thomas Mrrhnn
II grower uf trees. is l"pnrtel in ill.,.
newspapers. rs saying that the sparrow
cNt"rminatrd the measuring worm. I 10
same authority says that the sparrow Is
ais" very fond of the white moth, ilir
prny"nltnr Of the caterpillar which Is
now destroying the foliage Of Ill" trr.
1t Is 10 j" hoped that the moth will 20
the way Of the ncasurng worm.
In the meantime the Improvement in
III" disposition Of the sparrow will prob
ably ne followed by II full return of til,
native birds to the farms, orchards M
parks of th" country. They are friends
whose acquaintance il is well that every
body shodld cultivate.