SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 343 



TUESDAY EVENING SESSION. 



Meeting convened as per adjournment, and the following paper 

 was read by F. I. Mann, the writer being absent: 



THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 

 BY A. L. CUMMINGS. 



It is apparent to every one that this distinguished visitor to 

 American shores, whose coming was heralded by trumpets proclaim- 

 ing him the great destroyer of insects, has now became the object of 

 general distrust, if not of hatred. This is natural, perhaps, but is it 

 just? The change is not in the sparrow, whose habits are unchanged 

 except in matters necessary to his changed conditions and climate. 

 The change is in those who, in gross ignorance of his habits of feed- 

 ing and modes of life, imported a bird whose beak proclaims him 

 above all else a seed-eater, to destroy insects which were defoliating 

 and thus destroying the parks of our eastern cities. The experiment 

 met with more success than its extravagance warranted, because the 

 bird, new to its surroundings and unused to city life, finding none of 

 the food apj)ropriate for its use, was compelled to change its diet and 

 eat insects for the time being, rather than starve. Thus the tempo- 

 rary success achieved led to high hopes for the future, which the 

 future failed to realize. 



But, like all foreigners who arrive on our shores, the sparrow 

 soon began to get his bearings and adapt himself to his new home. 

 He soon found the farming regions outside the cities contained his 

 true food, and colonies were established every where all over the 

 country, Avhere seeds and grain furnished the natural food of the 

 bird as before. Then Ijegan a howl of bucolic rage from all those 

 subject to its depredations, in which, latterly, men of science have 

 joined, in a manner more mild, it is true, but not therefore the less 

 dangerous. 



Extermination is threatened in village and hamlet, and farmers 

 have ascertained that pot-pies of delicious fragrance and extreme 

 toothsumeness can be made from their slaughter. But, in spite of 

 all this, the English sparrow has taken out his naturalization jiapers 

 and come to stay. \\'hat to do with him is the onl}' (juestion left us 

 to solve. In the re-action that has taken place since his first intro- 

 duction he can hardly expect exact justice any more than that other 

 execrated foreigner, the " Heathen Chinee,'' of both of whom it may 

 be said that they deserve more civil treatment at our hands. 



We even heard the sparrow accused of eating fruit buds and 

 thus destroying the hope of harvest, but we ])resume this charge is 

 abandoned, or, at least, is not being {)ressed, as we hear nothing of 



