OUR BIRD ALLIES. I49 
CHAPTER X. 
THE SPARROW ; ITS VICES. 
THE SPARROW—lIts character, real and supposed—The balance 
of evidence— Farmers and their prejudices—Accusations 
against the bird—The Sparrow in the corn-field—The 
Sparrow as a bailiff—The Sparrow as a destroyer of thatch 
—The Sparrow as a destroyer of buds—A lady and her 
arguments—The Sparrow as a politician—The Sparrow in 
America and New Zealand—Concluding remarks, 
IN entering upon a description of the common 
Sparrow in its relationship to man, I am aware that 
I undertake an unusually difficult task, and one in 
which, no matter whether my own individual judg- 
ment be favourable or adverse to the bird, I cannot 
but differ from many independent observers. For, 
during many long years, the true character of the 
sparrow has been a source of perpetual discussion, 
as much among ornithologists themselves as among 
agriculturists and others whose interest in the matter 
is of special and personal importance ; and it cannot 
be said, even with all the advantages of modern 
science, of the collective testimony of naturalists 
from all parts of the country, and even of a Select 
Committee of the House of Commons appointed to 
inquire into the subject, that a final and unquestion- 
able decision has, as yet, been arrived at. 
