ENGLISH SPARROW 21 



Enemies. — The resourceful English sparrow is more than a match 

 for its small-bird enemies, of which there are plenty. Shrikes, 

 grackles, and small hawks and owls take their toll. Many are killed 

 on the highways by speeding automobiles; motor vehicles are increas- 

 ing in numbers and in speed faster than the birds can learn to avoid 

 them, and nearly as many English sparrows are killed on the roads as all 

 other species of birds combined; most of those killed are young and 

 inexperienced birds. 



The natural elements take heavy toll on rare occasions. Sparrows 

 are hardy birds and generally can stand extreme cold and ordinary 

 winter storms, but those that roost in city trees, as they formerly did 

 in large numbers, are sometimes killed by heavy sleet, hail or rain 

 storms. Ruthven Deane (1908) mentions such a catastrophe that 

 occurred in Chicago in August. A "torrent of rain which is seldom 

 exceeded in force or quantity" lasted most of the night, while the birds 

 were roosting in the trees. He quotes Luther E. Wyman as saying: 

 "My own observations were confined to Garfield Park, where they 

 roost in great numbers. Here I found them dotting the grass under 

 the trees, but massed around the trunks of the larger trees, though 

 many lay even under such dense-growing shrubs as the lilac. * * * 

 The area I examined would cover probably less than a third of a city 

 block, jet I found upward of a thousand birds, all sparrows but one, 

 a young robin." 



But the worst enemy of the English sparrow is man. Repenting of 

 his folly in introducing this alien species, he has tried his best to ex- 

 terminate it or control it, but with indifferent results. Various types 

 of traps have been used with temporary success, but the sparrow soon 

 learns to avoid them. Grain poisoned with strychnine will kill a few 

 sparrows, especially if they have been baited to some chosen spot with 

 wholesome grain, but after a few have been seen to die, the survivors 

 will avoid it; furthermore, it may kill other birds. 



The most effective method of driving sparrows away from premises 

 where they are not wanted is by persistent shooting and by repeatedly 

 destroying their nests, both of which methods will eventually dis- 

 courage them. A. long trench can be baited with grain, and, after the 

 birds have learned to feed there, a large number can be killed by a 

 raking shot. The use of light charges anywhere about the premises 

 will not frighten away other birds. Nests should be removed regu- 

 larly from the boxes, and most of those on trees and in vines can be 

 reached by a long pole with a hook at the end. Where sparrows roost 

 in large numbers in vines on buildings, they can be driven away by 

 heavy spraying with a hose for several nights in succession; this also 

 cleans their filth from the vines. This method is also effective on their 

 nests, as it makes the nests uncomfortable and is likely to kill small 



