552 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



OBSERVATION OP THE ENGLISH 

 SPARROW. 



Messrs. Editors. 



AS the habits and value of the English 

 sparrow are now being investigated 

 in various parts of the country, I submit 

 the results of my own observations made 

 during the last three or four years, or since 

 the bird became abundant in this locality. 

 The charge frequently made, that the Eng- 

 lish sparrow drives our native birds from 

 their accustomed haunts, does not apply to 

 this vicinity. The sparrows are very nu- 

 merous, are noisy and sometimes aggressive 

 in their habits, but appear to quarrel much 

 more among themselves than with other 

 species of birds. I have not noticed any 

 superior combative power which would en- 

 able them to do that which they are charged 

 with doing. They are with us during the 

 year about our grounds and dwellings in 

 great numbers. They are companions of 

 the song-sparrow, snow-bird, woodpecker, 

 chickadee, creeper, nuthatch, etc. There 

 is no conflict or dispute among them. Dur- 

 ing the inclement weather of winter I feed 

 the birds frequently, sometimes daily, and 

 have watched their movements with great 

 interest. I have not seen a dispute in their 

 efforts to obtain the coveted food. The 

 woodpeckers and chickadees gathered the 

 bits of meat, the f ringilla the seeds, which I 

 scattered. 



Nor have I noticed any considerable con- 

 troversy at the nesting-season. Bluebirds 

 are the first to arrive, and sometimes find 

 their former nesting-places occupied by spar- 

 rows, but no disturbance occurs, the blue- 

 birds finding other places for their nests. I 

 have several times noticed, however, that the 

 bluebirds are masters of the situation when 

 a struggle takes place for an empty box. 

 At this writing, bluebirds, sparrows, orioles, 

 and many other species have their nests on 

 my grounds, and equally so on the grounds 

 of others in our neighborhood. I have no 

 doubt there are fifty birds'-nests within a 

 short distance of my dwelling. Robins, 

 blackbirds, cat-birds, orioles, warblers, finch- 

 es, and fly-catchers of many kinds are all 

 about us, very much more numerous than 

 they were in our boyhood. 



All birds of species which love the shade 

 of the woodlands are of course undisturbed 

 by sparrows, which seek open spaces near 

 dwellings, not the forests. Nor will it be 

 claimed that larger birds, such as the robin, 

 6uffer from the presence of the sparrows. 



With us the barn-swallow is among the 

 most peaceful and unobtrusive of birds, and 

 yet it does not seem to be in any great fear 

 of the sparrows, as the following incident 

 will show : A pair of swallows commenced 

 building a nest under a shed on my premises, 

 but a sparrow was soon seen sitting on the 

 side of the half-finished structure. Directly 

 the swallows commenced building another 

 nest within a few feet of the first, and no fur- 

 ther disturbance took place. The nest was 

 finished and occupied by the swallows. Spar- 

 rows have not driven our native birds away, 

 neither have they given cause for any seri- 

 ous complaint on account of destroying our 

 grain, as they seem to have done in some 

 other places. I think, in this particular, it 

 would be well for people to observe careful- 

 ly for themselves. In winter, indeed, at all 

 seasons, sparrows delight to feed on half- 

 digested grains thrown from stables, or scat- 

 tered elsewhere, but in spring and summer 

 I have seen them carrying animal food to 

 their broods. This they do persistently and 

 in large quantities, the supply consisting 

 largely of insects, larva?, worms, etc. I have 

 seen them catch insects on the wing as do 

 the fly-catchers. 



I have not observed that they eat ber- 

 ries, grapes, or other small fruits, but have 

 seen them picking the soft grains of sweet- 

 corn. If their food were scanty or unsuit- 

 able, it is probable that they would feed more 

 freely on the valuable grains. The birds 

 which do most damage to farmers in this 

 vicinity are blackbirds, robins, cat-birds, and 

 a few other species, which feed on cherries, 

 blackberries, grapes, and similar fruits. 

 When the fruits are ripe, the trees and 

 bushes swarm with these birds, but we hear 

 of no prejudice against them on that ac- 

 count, while the sparrows are freely con- 

 demned for like offenses. 



Respectfully, John D. Hicks. 



Old "Westburv, Long Island, ^ 

 bth Mo. ISth, 1880. J 



AN EXPLANATION. 

 Messrs. Editors. 



The author of the article in " The Pop- 

 ular Science Monthly " of the present month, 

 with the caption " The Classics that educate 

 us," it is probable has not seen President 

 Eliot's interpretation of the passage quoted 

 from the address made at Smith College in 

 18*79. The friends of the higher education 



