Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-16
PLAN TO WIPE OUT
ENGLISH SPARROW
(From The New York Times.)

whose object is the preservation OF
wild life, is considering the question oil
inaugurating a nationwide campaig:i
for the destruction of the English
sparrow. It's officers say this bird
, has made such Roadway here that it is
driving out the smaller song and in.
sectivorous birds, and that it has be,
come question of whether we shah
have only the English sparrow to rep
resent our bird life, or destroy it and
regain some fifty species of useful and
beautiful birds that used to inhabit
cities, farms and countryside all over
the land.
The league intends to ask the gov
ernor of each state to issue procla-
nation declaring war on the English
sparrow, and setting aside week,
possibly in April or May or next year,
to be devoted especially to destroying
nests of this pernicious pest. Printed
instructions as to the plan of the cam
paign will be sent to the mayors of all
incorporated cities and villages, to the
beads of the scohol systems in every
county, to college presidents, to princi-
pals in preparatory schools, to the
heads of Boy Scouts in each state, and
to other organizations which might be
expected OF extend sympathy and aid
Four principal methods of action
will be employed. Tearing down the
nests, trapping the birds, shooting
them under police supervision and I'M
der licenses issued by the police au-
thorities, and, in cities where water
pressure is available, turning the hose
on the birds at night after they have
gone to roost.
The president of the league, Col. G..
o. Shields, of lilo Simpson street, New
York, says he would like to hear from
persons interested in the matter both
tohse who favor the plan and those OPP
posed.
He makes the statement that in the
case of hundreds of thousands of bird
boxes placed in this country in the last
ten years, fully rs per cent. have been
appropriate by English sparrows. In
cass where bluebirds, wrens or other
birds that are desired by those who put
up the boxes have taken possession Of
boxes, the sparrows have driven them
out, thrown their eggs or young to
the ground and taken possession them
selves.
Il have travelled nearly 1000 miles
this summer" says Col. Shields, have
visited more than fifty towns in the
middle West and in the East, have
walked more than 100 miles, ana
though l always look carefully Off
birds, l have not seen single blue
bird this season. The bluebird is, per-
haps, the most modest and most inof-
fensive of all our native songsters, and
so it has retired more generally be-
fore the onslaughts of the British in
truder than any other of our native
birds, though all have been driven out
to a greater or less extent.
Il recently sent out thirty letters,
inclosing self-addressed postcards, and
asking my correspondents whether
they had seen any bluebirds, and, if
so, how many. The cards have all
been returned, and only six Of the
people have seen a single bluebird.
Some of them report about the usual
number, but my experience and OBJ
servation of the others agree with my
own. These "a persons say they have
not seen single bluebird.
There are several important prec-
rdents for our proposed action against
the sparrows. San Diego, Cal, start
ed a war of determination against
them year ago. 1t has been yigor-
ously conducted on about the same
lines as we propose, and as a result,
most of the sparrows in that city have
been killed, and the others driven
out. The California state Universitv
has cleaned it's campus of them, and
Meriden, Conn, has cleared most Il
them out. The California state game
i and fish commission has inaugurated
a statewide war against the intrud-
ers.
IF one city the size of San Diego
J cen kill the sparrows and drive them
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