164 



THE OOLOQiSt 



they appear above ground. They also 

 damage wheat and other grains 

 whether newly sown, ripening, or in 

 the shocks. A campaign of destruc- 

 tion against the feathered pests is not 

 only justified but highly necessary if 

 crops are to be protected and our na- 

 tive birds encouraged." 



According to a report of the United 

 States department of agriculture, pub- 

 lished in 1889, the house sparrow was 

 first introduced into San Francisco in 

 1871 or 1872, probably from the east- 

 ern states. Later some of the species 

 were liberated in Stockton. By 188G 

 the English Sparrow was found 

 throughout the bay region and well in- 

 to the interior valleys, as in the vi- 

 cinity of Stockton, Sacramento, Hol- 

 lister, Napa and also Eureka. When 

 protection was given song birds in 

 1901, this sparrow had become so 

 abundant and was considered so de- 

 structive that it was black-listed and 

 given no protection. 



Vast Colonies Thrive 



At the present time it may be found 

 in vast colonies in practically every 

 settlement from the Oregon line to 

 the Mexican line, with the exception 

 of portions of southern California. 

 The bird first appeared in Los Angeles 

 in 1908, but since then has been in- 

 creasing in numbers. It was first 

 noticed in Imperial valley in 1910 and 

 has become numerous in all the towns 

 of that region. 



"The many places," says Mr. Bryant, 

 in speaking of the extermination of 

 the Sparrow, "the handling of the 

 problem by the city may lead to the 

 best results. The appointment of a 

 man to supervise and carry out spar- 

 row destruction to be recommended 

 rather than a bounty system. Spar- 

 row clubs, in which each member is 

 required to show a certain quota of 

 nests or birds each week or month, 

 have been found effective in England. 



San Diego has taken drastic steps to 

 rid itself of the pest. The job of de- 

 stroying Sparrows inside the city 

 limits is given to one man. During 

 the first month, this man handed over 

 to the police department 323 dead 

 Sparrows, for which he received five 

 cents apiece. Later when the Spar- 

 rows became more difficult to obtain, 

 he was awarded 10 cents apiece. From 

 last reports Sparrows are well under 

 control in the southern California 

 city." — San Jose Mercury, W. A. 

 Strong, San Jose, Cal. 



SERIES OF EGGS OF THE KILL- 

 DEEP; 



Four eggs, at least one half incubat- 

 ed ; ground color buff. Thickly marked 

 over the whole surface with spots and 

 dots of brown and pale drab, with sev- 

 eral large spot and blotches of the 

 brown on the large ends; form pointed 

 oval. Measure 1.56 x 1.11, 1.61 x 1.10, 

 1.64 X 1.10, 1.65 X 1.11 inches. Nest a 

 very small amount of pieces of grass 

 and stubble, on ground, in slight hol- 

 low. Locality Columbia County, Co- 

 lumbus, Wisconsin. Date May 1, 1890. 



Three eggs, badly incubated ; 

 creamy buff ground, thickly marked 

 over whole surface with rather coarse 

 spots and scrawls of black-brown and 

 lilac gray, not much of latter, how- 

 ever; form long oval; measure, aver- 

 age 1.80 X 1.12. No nest material, 

 simply a hollow on plowed ground. 

 Locality, Columbia County, Columbus, 

 Wisconsin. Date 1890. 



Four eggs, incubation slight, dull 

 creamy ground, thickly spotted and 

 dotted with black-brown, and under 

 markings of lilac, heaviest on larger 

 ends. Two are more heavily marked 

 than the others; pointed oval; meas- 

 ure 1.51 X 1.12, 1.58 X 1.10, 1.50 x 1.07, 

 1.46 X 1.03 inches. Nest of a few 



