402 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



203. — Common Sparrow [Hausspeeling]. 

 FRINGILLA DOMESTICA, Linn.i 



Heligolandish : Kav^&uk = Church-binl. 



Fringilla domestica. Naumann, iv. 453. 



Common Sparroio. Dresser, iii. 587. 



Gros-bec moinemi. Temuiinck, Manuel, i. 350, iii. 256. 



Master Sparrow, who gives himself such airs everywhere, plays 

 a particularly prominent part in the avifauna of Heligoland, being 

 the only one of all the smaller birds which is a fixed annual breeder 

 there. Unfortunately, we can hardly say that this adds to the 

 attractions of the island. For not only does the never-ending call 

 of the males — 'shiilltip — shuUiip ' — during the pairing and breeding 

 periods become extremely wearisome, but the discordant chatter 

 of the freshly fledged young, applying for food to their parents 

 among the high thorns of the gardens, is extremely objectionable. 

 Apart from this, they do very severe damage in the smaller gardens 

 of the island by biting oft' all the young blossoms of the goosel)crry 

 and currant bushes, and throwing them on the ground, apparently 

 for mere pastime. Those who support the protection of animals 

 wiU j^robably in this case advance the view that in proceeding 

 thus, the object of the bird was to find noxious insects ; and I 

 myself at first entertained the same idea, until I found very soon 

 that one bush after the other was robbed of everj^ single blossom, 

 when I thought it was high time to interfere ; since then my bushes 

 bear fruit in abundance. 



The experience of our friends in America has also been a very 

 sad one in regard to the Sparrow. Immigrants from Europe, 

 thinking it would be very nice to transplant a bit of the old homo 

 to the new country in the shape of the Sparrow, had a number of 

 these birds sent over from Europe, and set them at liberty. To the 

 great joy of its admirers our little friend throve so well that very 

 soon it not only completely flooded buildings and open places in 

 New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and other large cities, but com- 

 pletely drove out of the parks and pleasure-grounds all the native 

 Sylviie and Thrushes which had hitherto beautified these places by 

 their song. It has now inundated all the United States from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean ; its flocks have increased to such 

 enormous multitudes that the peach- and vine-culture are seriously 

 threatened, and the Government is obliged to study means of 

 putting a stop to this pest. 



1 Passer domesticus [Linn.). 



