356 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



expense. Over there it constitutes part and parcel of tlie natural economy of 

 animal life; it has its place and fills it. Mr. Stephen Gould, of Newport, K. I., 

 says the imported sparrow seems to court the society of other birds, and never 

 have the birds been so abundant on our place. Prof. Thos. M. Brewer, of Bos- 

 ton, says : ^'Only five native birds were known on the Boston Commons, 20 years 

 ago, to his certain knowledge, but now since the English sparrow has been 

 introduced there are no less than 17 different species. "We also have the 

 emphatic testimony of Hon. F. AV. Giles, of Topeka, Kansas, who also denies 

 the alleged quarrelsome disjiosition of the English sparrow, and adds his 

 valuable observations in regard to its destruction of the maple worms from 

 his own trees, during the summer of 1877." 



AXOTHEll TESTIMO^'IAL. 



It has been said the English sparrows destroy fruit. I have a fine raspberry 

 bed, on which, year before last, the catbirds left me scarcely a taste. The 

 same occurred with my stra\T berries and in my orchard. As soon as a luscious 

 pear would get ripe, the catbirds would have the best of it. I very reluctantly 

 had war declared against the catbirds, and many were killed. Last summer I 

 did not allow more than one or two pair to nest on my grounds. These I gave 

 their liberty, because I am fond of their song. The consequence was I had 

 plenty of berries and pears. The sparrows had full liberty to go where they 

 pleased. I watched them constantly, and I have yet to see them touch the 

 fruit. It is said they are quarrelsome and drive away other birds. I have 

 many birds of all kinds on my grounds, which I protect, and during the sum- 

 mer my lawn, shrubbery and orchard have many nests of young in them. I 

 have put up boxes for the sparrows on my barn, and in my pines, yet, with a 

 single exception, I have not seen them interfere witli their neighbors. Last 

 spring I had a little house with apartments in it put up for martins. A pair 

 of blue birds took possession of it and built a nest. Just at this time a pair 

 of sparrows wanted to examine the interior of the house, but every time one 

 would come near, down would come the bluebird on the sparrow. At last the 

 sparrows went away, but soon returned with their friends, and they had a liveh" 

 time of it. But the sparrows were too many for the bluebirds, which left and 

 found a hole in an old apple tree in the orchard, at some distance from their 

 little house, and built a nest and brought forth their brood. The sparrows, 

 after they had whipped away the bluebirds, took possession of the house and 

 brought forth their iDrood and left. Then the blue birds returned and took 

 possession of the house, and brought forth another brood. But I noticed 

 there was one on guard all the time. If a sparrow came near, down came the 

 bluebird, and drove him away. After the bluebirds and young left the liouse, 

 the sparrows returned, and used the same nest, and brought out a second 

 brood, all of which are still in the house. — Mrs. E. 11. in Country Gentleman. 



Ctifton lleiglits, 0. 



BENEFICIAL, NOXIOUS, AND DOUBTFUL BIRDS. 



Dr. Tiiomas, in his entomological report, gives the following list of useful 

 and noxious birds and those of doubtful utility to the horticulturist: 



Birds that should be fostered. — Blue birds, titmice (chickadees), warblers 

 (small warbling birds found on trees and in gardens), kinglets (ruby crowned 



