Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-11-01
PLAN TO WIPE OUT
ENGLISH SPARROW
League Of American SpOrtsmen
TO InauguraIa Campaign.
WILL ENLIST ALL MAYORS.

" NsNoo 10 Ho'p IN Fi1nt Against
Sparrow. Which 10 Driving Out Song
Birds-Soverai Cities Already En-.
gagged In Movemsnt.
The League OF American Sportsmen,
whose object II the preservation of
Wild life. Is considering the question OF
lDaugurnting nation Wide campaign
for the destruction OF the English spar
row. Its officials say this bird has
made such headway here that It In
driving ont the smaller song and in
scctiv0rouS birds ANA that IL has he.
come question OF whether we viii
have only the English sparrow to rep
resent our bird life or destroy II and
regain some nifty species of useful and
beautiful birds that used to inhaDit
farms and countryside all over the
land.
The league intends TO issue proc
lnmation declaring war on the English
sparrow aud settling aside week. Dos.
slbly In Aprll or May Of next year. to
be devoted especially TO waging IL.
The governors OF every state win he
asked 10 aid the work. Printed IN
s'ructions M 10 the plan Of the cam
paign VIII be sent 10 the mayors OF
all Incorporated cities aud villages. TO
the heads OF the school systems In
every county. 10 college presidents. to
principals Of preparatory schools. TO
the heads o. the boy scouts In each
state and 10 other organizations which
might lie expected to extend sympathy
aud aid
Methods OF Fighting Winged Pest.
Four principal methods Of action will
he employed; Tearing down the nests,
trapping the birds. shooting them un.
der police supervision and under u.
censes Issued by the police authorities
and. In cities where water pressure IA
available, turning the hose on the birds
at night after they have gone TO roost
The president Of the league. G. 0.
Shields, OF lli0 Simpson street. New
York. says he would like to hear from
persons interested In the matter, both
those who favor the plan and those
opposed.
lie makes the statement Chat In the
case OF the hundreds OF thousands Of
bird boxes placed In this country In
the last ten years. fully 90 per cent
have been appropriated for their own
purposes by the English sparrows. In
cases where bluebirds, wrens or other
birds that are desired by those who put
the boxes up have taken possession OF
boxes. the sparrows have driven them
out, thrown their eggs TO the ground.
and taken full possession themselves.
Blusbirds Driven Out
II have Travelled nearly 1900 miles
this summer" says Mr.. Shields, have
visited more than ffty towns In the
middle west and In the east. have
walked more than 100 miles and,
though I always look carefully for
birds, have not seen a single blueblrd
this season The bluebird Is. perhaps.
the most modest and most inotfenslye
OF all our native songsters. and 80 1t
has retired more generally before the
onslaughts OF the English sparrow
than any other OF our native birds.
though all have been driven out 10 a
greater or less extent.
There are several Important prece.
dents for our proposed action against
the sparrows san Diego. Cal, started
war OF determination against them a
year ago. u has been vigorously con.
Quoted, on about the same lines as we
propose, and Ms n result most Of the
sparrows In that city have been killed
aud the others driven out. The Callfor.
MIA state university has cleaned IT,
campus OF them, and Meriden. Conn.
has cleaned them out The California
state game and ish commission has
inauguratcd n state wide war against
the intruders.
III one city the size Of SAN Diego
can XIII the sparrows aud drive them
out, every town and city IN the land
can do II. and we believe thut at least
M per cent OF the people In this coun.
Try VIII approve war " cxterminu.
tion against this condemned nuisance,
aud that they win Ioin bpnrtily in H."