132 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



Cowesett, R. I. 

 When I have young chickens I am obliged to stand by them while 

 they eat their ineals or they would be robbed of nearly all their foodby 

 English Sparrows. I have never seen them härm chickens, but have 

 heard that they sometimes do. They eat quantities of food that should 

 go to feed useful birds. They are very untidy in their habits, disfigur- 

 ing buildings and porches, and while they are not exactly homely, yet 

 they do not deserve the prize for beauty their notes are unpleasant to 

 hear. But after all is said, they are poor little hungry birds obliged to 

 take of themselves and are wise enough to do it in the easiest way. 



M. E. Spencer. 



Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. 

 I considerthe English Sparrow a pest. I have a set of eggs contain- 

 ing Robins and three Sparrows eggs. The nest had belonged to the 

 Robins in the first place, but the Sparrows chased the Robins away and 

 took the nest as their own. They then put aroof of straw over the nest 

 and a few feathers inside and laid their eggs and let the Robins gohunt 

 up another home. I also saw a Sparrow go into a hole in a stub about 

 eight feet high, which Stands in a front yard in the city, and bring two 

 Bluebird eggs which were in a nest in the stub, aud drop them out of 

 the hole just for pure meanness. I think these are good examples of 

 the härm they do. Walter C. Newberry. 



Saegertown, Pa. 

 In this section the English Sparrow is considered a great pest and I 

 believe without one redeeming quality in its favor. Filthy and noisy 

 about the buildings and destructive to grain, especially wheat, both 

 while in the shock and mow or Stack. If they are permitted to remain 

 about the premises they will drive away the native birds, any of which 

 I am sure are more desirable neighbors than the much despised English 

 pest. By the use of my gun I cause the Sparrows to give our premises 

 a wide berth and am rewarded by numbers of our native song birds 

 nesting in the trees and buildings of my home. L. B. Gilmore. 



Scandinavia, Wis. 

 We used to have about a hundred Swallows building under the eaves 

 of our barn every summer. But now since the English Sparrows came 

 we have not a single pair. I have seen the Sparrows go into the nests, 

 destroy the eggs and throw out the young Swallows and also destroy 

 the nests. I have not seen a colony of Swallows around here for sev- 

 eral years. One or two pairs will come back each spring, but after two 

 or three trials give up in despair. The English Sparrow is a coward 

 and a sneak and will stay around and watch until the old birds leave the 

 nest before he dares to go in and destroy them. I have watched them 

 do the same with other birds which build in our orchard. I have not 

 noticed that they do any good but believe they do lots of härm by driv- 

 ing away useful birds from our homes and gardens. O. Bennett Lee. 



