FINCHES 85 



The question whether Sparrows do more harm 

 than good is one which has excited much contro- 

 versy, and has given rise to a considerable literature 

 on the subject, especially in the United States, 

 where the " English Sparrow," as it is there 

 termed, was unwisely introduced in 1850, when 

 eight pairs were imported into Brooklyn, N.Y. 



Amongst the more important publications on 

 the subject may be mentioned — 



Colonel Russell's evidence in the Report of the Parlia- 

 mentary Committee on Wild Birds' Protection, 1873 ; and 

 his remarks in Wesley's book on the House-Sparrow, 1885, 

 mentioned below. 



Riley, " Insectivorous Habits of the English Sparrow," 

 Bull. y.S. Depart. Agricult. Division, Econ. Orn. and 

 Mamm. (1889). 



Elliott Coues, " On the Present Status of Passer 

 domesticus in America," Bull. U.S. Geol. and Geog. Survey, 

 vol. V. No. 2 (1879). 



Report of Committee of Amer. Orn. Union, " Forest 

 and Stream," Aug. 6, 1885 : quoted in Miss Ormerod's 

 Ninth Report on Injurious Insects. 



Wesley, " The House-Sparrow," containing observations 

 by various contributors, including Colonel Russell, Mr. 

 J. H. Gurney, and others (1885). 



Gurney, " On the Misdeeds of the House-Sparrow," a 

 small octavo pamphlet published by Messrs. Gurney and 

 Jackson (1887). 



Hart Merriam and W. B. Barrows, " The English 

 Sparrow in North America, especially in its Relations to 

 Agriculture," 8vo, pp. 405, with Map showing distribution 

 in America, Washington, 1889. 



Mr. J. H. Gurney has tabulated the customary 

 and occasional food of adult Sparrows for every 



