108 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 
de Bade, where the sparrow had been exterminated, 
insects had increased to such an extent, “that the very 
persons who had offered rewards for his destruction, 
were the first to labour for his return, thus going to a 
double expense !” 
I know something by experience of the numerous 
insects that ravage the gardens in Australia, and can 
understand the eager efforts made to introduce the Eng- 
lish sparrow into that country. Our little friends took 
kindly to the climate and rapidly increased, and the 
following extract of a letter from a gardener near 
Melbourne, quoted by Mr. E. Wilson, shows clearly the 
value of their services :— 
“A few weeks ago a portion of our grounds was 
literally swarming with caterpillars, and I dreaded the 
havoc that must ensue to our choice and valuable collec- 
tion of young trees ; fortunately, befere any injury was 
done the sparrows came to our aid, not in scores, but in 
hundreds, and so completely destroyed the invaders that 
in less than ten days very few of them were to be seen; 
and at the present moment the sparrows may be seen all 
day long following up the trail of the caterpillars, and rave- 
nously destroying the last remnants of the army that may 
have before escaped their vigilance.-—Dec. 11, 1866.” 
It was in 1862 that sparrows were introduced into 
Australia, and so rapid had been their increase, that in 
1868 the colonists were complaining that the fruit in 
their gardens had been largely destroyed, and alleging 
that the sparrows were the chief depredators. In April, - 
1868, the Secretary of the Victoria Acclimatization 
Society was directed by the council to write to Mr, 
Wilson to ask him to “assist them in procuring evi- 
dence as to the utility of the sparrow to the garden 
