Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-11-13

an enlightened. educated public opinion
sustain a movement that sets young
boys killing birds by every possible
means that may be devised. even when
the birds are sparrows? Must not the
character Of a child inevitably suffer
from the practice Of killing? Must 1t
not, this crusade Of destruction. blunt
his finer sensibilities, lessen his regard
for life in all its humber forms and
foster in him the spirit Of indifference
toward suffering? There Is but one
answer to these questions. Experience
has demonstrated that argument here
Is excluded. From parents and teachers
and editors everywhere there should
arise a prompt and positive protest
against enrolling the children of the
land in any such campaign as has for
its object the killing Of birds, no matter
what the birds are. The bird life Of
this country Is too vitality related to
its very existence to run any risk of
training the youth in the process of
exterminating even an injurious spe-
cies. should such an one exist. In adj
dition 1t should be said that there are
sparrows, other than the English spar
row. which resemble him sufficiently
to make probable the killing Of many a
bird against which no charge has ever
been brought. No, II the sparrow Is
all his enemies say he is. and II he
must be destroyed, then let us entrust
his destruction to men designated to
the task and not to children.
/ There is still something more to be
said. We know the Department Of Ag-
riculture has advocated the trapping,
poisoning and shooting Of the English
sparrow. But even that distinguished
body does not know everything, has
much still to learn. 1t has had to
change its views many times upon
many questions. What are we to do
with such facts as these:
! Recent Investigations carried on by
the Biological Survey lead to the state
; lnent made by that authority that dur
! ing the years 1911 and 1912 it was es-
timated that one brood of young SPAR
VOWS destroyed at least 1000 alfalfa
weeviI in day.
Prof r. J. DeLoach, Of the GEORGIA
Agricultural Experiment Station, says
he witnessed the spectacle of about
1000 sparrows attacking field of Ger
man millet which had been invaded by
several million of the army-worm
caterpillars. In approximately forty
eight hours the field had been COM
pletely cleaned Of the worms.
James auckland. Of London, in a pa
per published in the Smithsonian Re-
port for 1913. says: Some years ago
the agriculturists Of Hungary, moved
to the insane step by ignorance and
prejudice. succeeded in getting the
|
to destruction. Within five years the
! country was overrun with insects, and
these same men were crying for the
bird to be given back to them lest they
should perish. The sparrow was
brought back and, driving out the
hordes of devasting insects proved the
salvation of the country"
Our own Edward Howe Forbush,
Massachusetts, State Ornithologist,
wrote us some time ago. in reply to our
question about the sparrow, as follows:
If we were rid Of the sparrows and
had our native birds back, no doubt
We could attract them into our cities
and they would protect the trees, but
II now we should destroy the sparrows
l suppose that other insects would in
crease. particularly the geometrid cat
erpillars, which the sparrow was i'm.
ported to destroy.
PERSONALLY, I should deprecate very
much any widespread effort to destroy
the English Sparrow. for think that
! the bird is now fastened upon us and
determination is impossible. ANY pop
ular attempt to destroy the sparrows
will result in the destruction Of other
birds more useful than the sparrow. I
should not object. however to the SPAR
rows being destroyed by Trustworthy.
reliable citizens in any case where it
might seem necessary for the public
welfare to have this DONE"
There Is no doubt, in our judgment,
from personal observation and CONVEX
sation with careful observers, that the
English sparrow in America is chang
ing his habits and becoming more and
more an insectivorous bird. We have
watched him destroying the brown-tail
and gypsy moths. climbing about fruit
trees searching for insects. This very
summer with flock of over f1fty SPAR
rows living about our place, every one
of a number Of bird houses on the
premises has been occupied by blue
b1rds and house wrens, and in the trees
more robins and vireos, and in the gar
den more chipping-sparrows have nest
ed than during the past six years. For
twenty years we have observed the
sparrow with more than usual care.
We have never seen him attack bird
OF another species. That he is often a
nuisance, building his nests over WIN
dows and in shutters, even his best
friend would not deny. In this, how
ever. he is not a worse sinner than the
pigeon. Never were the sparrows more
numerous in New Zealand, says Buck
land. never were the complaints more
bitter against them. and yet never were
the harvests so abundant. He con-
cludes. 1.-THE good the sparrow does
must far outweigh the evil"
We have written thus at length, not
because we regard ourselves competent
to prove or disprove such a statement
as is made in the last sentence just
| quoted from auckland. but to call pub
lie attention to the fact, first, that this
attempt to enlist the youth Of the land
/ in a crusade of killing is deserving Of
loud protest from all lovers Of child
welfare. for the child's sake; and Sec