Notes from Field and 'Study 



215 



only once since, the entire family of us watch- 

 ing the proceedings with much irtterest from 

 the time llie shot w;is I'lrcd. The tjirds sang 

 and warlilcd, made ecstatic little gyrations 

 in the air and hoj)ped around in the grass not 

 fifteen feet from the door where we were 

 watching them, warbling over and over again 

 their soft notes, the beautiful blue of tlieir 

 plumage fairly scintillating in the sun. The 

 next day both birds — I suppose the same jmir 

 — were carrying materials to the bird-house. 



In a day or two another pair of Sparrows 

 drove away the Bluebirds with e.xactly the 

 same result as happened to cock number one, 

 and with exactly the same happy evolutions 

 of Bluebirds, even to the male pushing or 

 knocking the dead Sparrow over the edge to 

 the earth below. This time the Bluebirds 

 were left in peace and happily reared their 

 brood in the bird-house. 



This year a pair of Bluebirds nested early 

 in the same bird-house; Chipping Sparrows in 

 a large gooseberry bush not fifteen feet from 

 the back of the house, and Robins under an 

 outside stairway of the shop. These nests, 

 aside from the Bluebirds, were inspected 

 daily and the Chippy's was photographed 

 once. About this time a cloud of English 

 Sparrows settled down and, as usual, my 

 brother began shooting them with his .22 

 rifle. I have repeatedly watched these nests 

 by turns as he aimed, and have never seen a 

 bird fly therefrom at the light report of the 

 rifle. Both the Bluebirds and Chipping 

 Sparrows are now nesting for the second time 

 on or near the first sites. 



This is only one or two years' experience 

 out of seven or eight, during which time my 

 brother and self have used the 22-caliber 

 (never a shot-gun) effectively and effectually 

 until either of us appearing anywhere in sight 

 has been the signal for a general flight of 

 Sparrows, they finally leaving for good and 

 all for months at a time. Meanwhile all the 

 other birds are confiding and fearless, and 

 abound in great numbers around the house. 

 — Leli.-x E. Honsinger, St. Albans, Vt. 



English Sparrow Notes 



In the May-June, 1905, issue of Bird- 

 Lore, Mr. F. M. Bennet's account of his 



English Sparrow troubles is of more than 

 ordinary interest to me, for my own exijeri- 

 ences with this pest have been strangely 

 similar. His description of the actions of 

 these Sparrows toward the "respectable" 

 birds illustrates splendidly the way my 

 English Sjmrrows have done. I, too, have 

 bird-boxes, and my Bluebirds had a hard 

 time indeed until I relieved them. 



Perhaps a brief account of my experiences 

 will be welcomed by other bird-lovers, whose 

 bird-boxes are infested with these pests. My 

 plan for exterminating the English Sparrows 

 is simple, but is better than it sounds. I 

 simply shoot from the house, through a win- 

 dow slightly raised, every English Sparrow 

 that comes to a bird-box. .'\s I do not thrust 

 the muzzle out of the window, very little 

 noise is heard outside and the birds are not 

 disturbed, — except, of course, the stricken 

 Sparrow. I use a 38-caliber auxiliary barrel 

 inside of my shot-gun, the shells being charg- 

 ed with smokeless powder and dust-shot; but, 

 of course, any rifle or gun with a similar 

 charge would do. 



Now, one might say that all bird-boxes 

 cannot be reached from a window, and indeed 

 I have several times shot Sparrows from out- 

 doors from necessity. And I can say this 

 truthfully: the bang of the rifle did not 

 frighten my Bluebirds or Tree Swallows in 

 the least. They even seemed to appreciate 

 the service I was doing them. In one case, an 

 English Sparrow expelled a Tree Swallow 

 from one of the boxes, and sat uttering its 

 disgusting notes at the door. The Swallow 

 lit in a nearby tree. From outdoors I shot the 

 English Sparrow, which fell to the ground. 

 Almost immediately the Swallow, with a 

 joyful twitter, was on the grass by the dead 

 Sparrow, surveying it quizzically from all 

 sides; then it entered its own home in peace. 

 I give this incident more as a noteworthy 

 happening in bird-life than as an illustration 

 of "how Tree Swallows regard the bang of a 

 gun," however; yet, as I said, my Bluebirds 

 and Swallows seem to know my good intent 

 towards them while, on the other hand, I now 

 take pride in the fact that the English Spar- 

 ows in my yard have become as wild as 

 Hawks, and fly at the mere rattling of a 

 window-sash. 



