HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



219 



other birds to save their young. When a cat is 

 tracing a young bird a note of alarm is soon given, 

 and a host of birds appear upon the scene and com. 

 inence to fly round the enemy, giving vent to the 

 most abusive language. Some chatter and frisk 

 about in the trees, evincing the greatest possible 

 agitation and concern. Swallows utter loud exe- 

 crating notes, and swoop down so threateningly and 

 so near that the cat actually raises its paw to strike in 

 self-defence. During this extraordinary commotion 

 the young bird contrives to make its escape. The 

 old ones, perceiving this, then retire as suddenly as 

 they appeared, leaving the cat standing motionless, 

 with tail erect, wondering at the oddity of the thing. 

 The question how far young birds receive artificial 

 instruction from their parents, and the whole subject 

 of bird-language in its different branches, seem to be 

 almost ignored in this country, but has received con- 

 siderable attention in Germany. 



DISSEMINATION AND HABITS IN AMERICA. 



As proving the remarkable adaptability of the 

 sparrow, the following brief account of its spread in 

 North America may be adduced. It is from the 

 "Zoologist" for 1881 :— "The house-sparrow was first 

 introduced into North America at Portland, Maine, 

 in 1S58. It has overrun the entire eastern province 

 from the Atlantic coast to the Missouri, and south, 

 nearly or quite to the Gulf, but it is most abundant 

 in the Northern States. It is equally abundant in the 

 Missouri Valley and in the Atlantic States, but is of 

 course more so in some localities than in others. 

 Apparently not yet introduced into California or 

 other parts of the West. In the vicinity of all the 

 larger cities Passe) - domesticus far outnumbers all the 

 native birds taken collectively. It is common also at 

 Salt Lake City, Utah, and at St. Louis, Missouri. I 

 have found it abundant in all the cities of the East, 

 from Montreal, Canada, to Richmond, Virginia ; but 

 it does not seem to spread much into the surrounding 

 country. — Percy E. Freke." 



It is worthy of note that no other European bird is 

 so thoroughly naturalised on the new continent as the 

 sparrow ; it seems to have the ability to conform to 

 any circumstances or conditions under which white 

 men can exist. 



Concerning the habits of the sparrow and other 

 birds in America, I have received a long communica- 

 tion from an American correspondent, Mr. Charles 

 Mortimer, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The following 

 is the substance : — " In answer to your question about 

 the presence of English sparrows, I would say that 

 they are here in Milwaukee in considerable numbers, 

 and in many other cities and towns. They are by no 

 means favourites, as the editorial article I sent you 

 will show. Their habits here, so far as I know, are 

 much the same as at home — the same noisy, pug- 

 nacious, chirruping race. In the city here they seem 



to find food enough in the streets among the horse- 

 droppings and about our depots, where much grain is 

 handled and some wasted. They are industrious 

 scavengers. Latterly, I see a few have begun to 

 frequent the steep banks of the lake, but I think their 

 living there must be more precarious, except, perhaps, 

 in the autumn, when seeds of most plants are ripe, or 

 ripening. Their nests are built exclusively in holes 

 and crannies about the tops of our buildings, or in 

 the little box houses that were put up originally for 

 the convenience of our native blue bird or purple 

 martin. Both of the last-mentioned birds are great 

 favourites — the one for its cheery notes in breeding 

 time, and the other for its sociability and its song ; 

 but I am sorry to say that your English usurpers, the 

 pugnacious sparrows, have almost driven them away. 

 I have not seen a blue bird this season ; the first 

 omission in the many years I have lived here. The 

 sparrows are becoming more noticeably numerous 

 here every year. I saw their young fledged and 

 hopping about on bushes as early as the 8th of May 

 (1882). They are now confined mostly to towns, but 

 we are afraid they will soon spread into the country, 

 and become a great pest. 



" A farmer in the interior not long since procured 

 some young ones and tried to settle them on his 

 premises, thinking they would remind him by their 

 chirrupings, of the pleasant old English home-associa- 

 tions of his early days, but one morning when he got 

 up no sparrows were to be seen. They had all fled to 

 a neighbouring farm. 



" One of our finches here, the goldfinch, or yellow 

 bird as it is more commonly called, or thistle bird, 

 from its known fondness for the seed of that plant, has 

 a very singular habit that has not been noticed by 

 Audubon, Wilson, or other naturalists, I believe 

 previous to the last decade. The female — or perhaps 

 both assist in building a comfortable-looking nest in 

 bushes — in willow bushes I have found them — and 

 before it is used by the female to deposit her eggs, it is 

 pulled to pieces and destroyed, and another built in 

 another locality for the purpose of incubation, so that 

 they are not among the early breeding birds. The 

 fact has been noticed in the vicinity of Washington, 

 and in the neighbourhood of Boston, Mass., and by 

 myself in the neighbourhood of Milwaukee several 

 years ago, so that appearances seem to indicate a 

 general disposition to the same purpose in widely 

 remote parts of the country." In regard to this latter 

 subject it may be added in confirmation, that the 

 chaffinch in this country often pulls the lining of its 

 nest to pieces, and that the sparrow often deserts un- 

 finished nests. 



After reviewing all the above facts, and paying 

 due regard to all the bright points in the character of 

 the sparrow, to its artful conduct in the defence of its 

 young, and to its various other ingenious and clever 

 performances, it is almost a pity to have to come to 

 the conclusion that it is a superabundant and injurious 



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