The Birds of Denver 115 



ered by the largest of these parks, the so-called " City Park," 

 was unaltered prah-ie, with no trees, and with one uncertain 

 watercourse. Now after years of labor and care it is well 

 covered bv trees of many species, has three moderate sized 

 lakes, and gives shelter to many bird species and bird indi- 

 vaduals, which years ag"o were unknown or scarce in the 

 same area. 



Three of the smaller parks also lend themselves partic- 

 ularly well to fostering" bird life, to-wit, Berkeley, Cheesman, 

 and Washington Parks. 



Because of the conditions brielly, and incompletely outlined 

 above, the City of Denver furnishes a striking example of 

 the changes in the bird population in such a locality which 

 can be brought about by the presence and intervention of 

 man ; it is highly gratifying to see and to realize, that in Den- 

 ver the harm to birds following in the track of civilization, 

 has not been of its usual severity. Here man has not dealt 

 altogether harshly with birdkind. 



The writer's duties, for many years, have taken him daily 

 through one or more of the parks of Denver, and also fre- 

 quently to the outskirts of the city ; he is convinced that each 

 year shows an increasing bird popidation, both in species and 

 individuals, throughout most of the city, but especiallv notice- 

 able in \\^ashington and Cheesman Parks. However, an ex- 

 ception to this nmst be noted ; the writer is certain (based 

 on careful personal observations) that the number of bird 

 species and individuals has decreased in Citv Park during 

 the past six years, a decrease most noticeable in the number 

 of Bullock's orioles. This undesirable diminution is due, it 

 seems to the writer, to the continued extensive spread of the 

 English sparrow, and to the recent introduction of squirrels. 

 While the latter have been detected many times in the act of 

 eating the eggs and young of our native birds, their injur- 

 ious effects on our bird population are probablv far less than 

 those of the English sparrow, which swarms in this partic- 

 ular park. This sparrow finds an easy living in the pheas- 

 ant and other zoological enclosures, and for a few vears past, 



