324 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



getting their fear of one while the others in turn are receiving 

 poison. 



" A poison mixture that has proved very effective is prepared 

 as follows : Put one-eighth ounce of strychnia sulphate into 

 three-fourths of a gill of hot water, and boil until dissolved. 

 Moisten i^ teaspoonfuls of starch with a few drops of cold water, 

 add it to the poison solution, and beat till the starch thickens. 

 Pour the hot poisoned starch solution over i quart of wheat, and 

 stir until every kernel is coated. Small-kerneled wheat sold as 

 poultry food, if reasonably clean, is preferable to first-quality 

 grain, being cheaper and more easily eaten by the sparrows. A 

 2-quart glass fruit jar is a good vessel to mix in, as it is easily 

 shaken and allows the contents to be seen. If the coated 

 wheat be spread thinly on a hard, flat surface, it will dry enough 

 for use in a short time. It should be dried thoroughly if it is to 

 be put into jars and kept for future use. Dishes employed in 

 preparing poison may be safely cleansed by washing. 



" The poison should be well scattered, so that many birds may 

 be able to partake at the same time, since after a few are affected 

 their actions excite the suspicion of their comrades. Usually a 

 few sparrows get only enough strychnine to paralyze them for a 

 few hours, after which they recover. It is important, therefore, 

 to visit the feeding places two or three hours after distributing 

 poison, to prevent such birds from escaping. It is well also to 

 remove dead birds promptly to avoid exciting the suspicions of 

 those that are unaffected. In northern latitudes the best time to 

 put out poison is just after a snowstorm, when other food is 

 covered. The feeding place should be cleared of snow and the 

 poison laid early in the morning. 



" Sparrows should be baited in secluded places, safe from 

 interruptions, and where doves and poultry are not endangered. 

 Roofs, back yards, and unused poultry runs are favorable situa- 

 tions. Proximity to low trees, grape arbors, and similar retreats, 

 "has the advantage that sparrows go to such places between meals, 

 and many dead birds will be found there well away from the 

 l^ait. If undisturbed, poisoned birds will usually be found within 

 a few feet of where the bait was spread, death occurring in from 

 three to twenty minutes. Where doves or poultry are likely to 

 be poisoned, the sparrows, after being baited, may be induced 



