Destruction by Man 79 



water. In the winter when we attempt to feed 

 our native birds, the sparrows come in hordes to 

 the exclusion of practically all other species. The 

 end of it is that thousands of people who are 

 anxious to do something to help our native 

 birds, become discouraged when they find that 

 the chief result of their efforts is an increase in 

 the size of the local flock of sparrows. 



If the European sparrows were very useful 

 birds or fine songsters, or if they had unusually 

 beautiful plumage, there would be some com- 

 pensation for the dearth of native birds which 

 they create. But sad to say, usually they are 

 neither useful nor ornamental. On the contrary 

 they are often very destructive. As Mr. Ned 

 Dearborn points out in his Farmers' Bulletin, 

 "The English Sparrow as a Pest": "It destroys 

 fruit, as cherries, grapes, pears, and peaches. 

 It also destroys buds and flowers of cultivated 

 trees, shrubs, and vines. In the garden it eats 

 seeds as they ripen, and nips off tender young 

 vegetables, especially peas and lettuce as they 

 appear above the ground. It damages wheat 

 and other grains, whether newly sown, ripening, 

 or in shocks. As a flock of fifty sparrows re- 

 quires daily the equivalent of a quart of wheat, 

 the annual loss caused by these birds throughout 

 the country is very great." 



