548 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



not be confused with the English sparrow. The English sparrow 

 was first introduced into this country from Europe and has since 

 spread nearly all over the country. This bird has some redeem- 

 ing qualities, for it does destroy a few grasshoppers and other in- 

 sects and eat some weed seed. On the whole, however, it is a seri- 

 ous pest and should be destroyed. Its food for the most part con- 

 sists of grain. The most serious charge against it is the fact that 

 it unmercifully persecutes our native birds, especially wrens and 

 bluebirds. It will repeatedly destroy their eggs or young and drive 

 them from their nests, unless they be protected. The English 

 sparrow also frequently destroys the eggs and young of robins, 

 and other birds nesting about the yard or orchard, and has been 

 an important factor in reducing the number of native birds to the 

 present low mark. The English sparrow should be driven from 

 the premises and the native birds encouraged. Bluebirds had been 

 entirely driven from our neighborhood for several years, when we 

 began to put up tomato cans especially for them to nest in. The 

 sparrows we destroyed, and the bluebirds shortly returned to their 

 old haunts. Two families were reared in one of these cans the 

 same year. We have several of them with a hole just the right 

 size for the bluebird, placed in. suitable situations. Figure 1. Those 

 on top of the fence posts about the barn lot seem to be favorites. 

 Wrens also have been pleased with these cans and we have thus 

 increased the number of wrens considerably. Some seasons we 

 have perhaps a dozen families of them, since the English sparrows 

 have been driven out. 



The native American sparrows have no such bad habits. They 

 live on good terms with their neighbors and in their habits are 

 above reproach. In summer the field sparrow, song sparrow, and 

 lark sparrow are among the best known. In winter the tree spar- 

 row and junco, sometimes called snowbird, may be seen in large 

 numbers scratching among the weeds in the fence rows for seeds. 

 The white-throated sparrow and white-crowned sparrow, and some 

 others are seen, only during the spring and fall migration. All are 

 beneficial. 



THE BLUE JAY. 



This is one of the few native birds with questionable habits. 

 After studying them very carefully, I have reached the conclusion 

 that, excepting an occasional individual, the blue jay should be 

 protected. I once knew one that visited a hen's nest every day 

 to eat the egg. I also knew of one case where a blue jay killed a 



