The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-09-27
ONE FRIEND OF THE sPARRowss,.
Ae Cites Many Good Deeds Done By
the Chatterbox.

Ae Cites Many Good Deeds Done. By
the Chatterbox.
l see in magazines and papers so many
articles deneHncing the sparrow: that j.
feel it my duty to tell of my IS years of
close companionship with this little chap
While l read the accounts of his alleged
murders and depredations on other birds,
have yet to see any such disgraceful
acts on his part, writes A. L. Fraser.
My experience with him has proved to
me that. he Is the farmers best friend.
He Is the first little fellow in the spring
to pounce Oh and destroy. all the cater
pillars and insects that are destructive to
the farmers crops. and he keeps pegging
iway at these yermin until the grain is
ripe. Then the crops are SO far advanc
ed that they are safe. All he then asks
in return for the benefit he has been to
the farmer is little grain TO carry him
through the fall and winter, 's. -e-,
So few know the reason for the intro
duction of the English sparrow to- this
part Of the world that wish to give It,;
Many years ago the streets Of New York
were lined with beautiful trees. In the
spring. as soon as they began to put on
their summer foliage. they were attack
ed by an ugly looking green worm called
the fnchworm. These would devour all
the leaves, leaving the tree perfectly
bare, and then hang from the trees in
millions By silken thread They be-
came such an intolerable nuisance. that a
great many people had the trees cut
down to get rid Of them. After the in
PRODUCTION Of the sparrow this nuisance
ceased to exist. He did his work brave
ly and we'll. This certainly is a proof Of
the benefit he is to the farmer. You can de-
pend on it that he destroys more harm
full insect life in proportion than he takes
back in pay for what grain he eats.
While now and then there may be cases
Of djsgraceful acts on his part to others
of our most beautiful feathered crea-
lures. he has always behaved himself In
my presence.
AT this writing he Is living in peace
with the catbird, robin, brown thrush,
oriole and many other birds In and
around any premises. The little chap
cheers US with his presence and CHEEKY
note all winter. Thousands Of them are
killed off by deep snow. cold and want Of
food. Not only is he benefit to us In the
way above mentioned, but he is a shield,
a protector to all the other birds, In that
he gives up his life to tramp cats, hawks
and the boy with the rife. If he were
not with us. surely all the other birds
would have to suffer.
! saw an article in one of our maya
zines advising the wholesale destruction
of the sparrow with grain soaked in poi
soned water. What a terrible combina-
ton that is to get in the hands of some
idiot. who would use it and destroy num-
berless other feathered songsters. Last
winter one of my neighbors soaked corn
In poisoned water and scattered It for the
destruction of crows. He killed a bevy
of quail. I saw the dead birds. Besides.
many other birds have suffered with the
quail.
Before condemning this little chatter
box make your home with him summer
and winter. and the more you see Of him
the more you will see his value to the
farmer. and you will find on the long.
cold and dreary days in the country In
winter. when all the other warblers are
in the sunny south. these little innocentS
will brighten your pathway with their
cheerful notes.-Forest and Stream. &"'