the old thatclied buildings sucli as the "Wapiti House, Elephant House, 

 and similar places existed in the Zoological Gardens, they formed a perfect 

 paradise for our home loving and very domesticated enemy, which were in 

 greater numbers even than now, the keepers used the very same kind of 

 German or Dutch earthenware pots, but the young were utihzed for a 

 very different purpose, they being given to the small mammals ; hawks, 

 owls, lizards, snakes, &c. 



It was during those early days of mine, that the Austrahan and New 

 Zealand governments persuaded my father to prepare a large number of 

 all our British Birds alive for those colonies, and it fell to my lot to under- 

 take the management of them until they were shipped, it was amongst 

 this mixed congregation of the feathered tribe, that many pairs of sparrows 

 formed a most troublesome addenda, for they would not be tamed or stop 

 on their perches, but always persisted in crawling through the bars at the 

 bottom of the cage and sulking there until turned out again. 



It is with feelings of humiliation and regret, that I ever had a hand 

 (I am speaking of neaiiy twenty-five years ago) in sending to those 

 colonies one of their greatest pests, for such are the reports of this bird 

 which continually reach us. 



Some enthusiastic person, did a similar act for the United States, 

 which has brought about legislation and a whole army of scientific and 

 other men to wage war against this corn-eating, seed devouring 

 " ruflaan." 



The back of this institution (Maidstone Museum) is beautifully covered 

 with ivy, which the sparrow has taken possession of for years, builds its 

 nest and rears its young in perfect safety, but by permitting this to go on, 

 I have lost (without thinking about it) a beautiful pink May-tree, they 

 have by degrees eaten off all the small buds during the winter, thus 

 preventing the tree from throwing out a single leaf, and since the dead 

 tree has been removed, they have taken to two others close by, which 

 win I fear, share the same fate as the first, for they make them a perfect 

 feeding ground during the winter. 



To use the words of Bewick written in 1816 respecting the plumage 

 of the sparrow might appear to some of far too early a date for quotation. 



