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MINNESOTA STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



MRS. EMMA BENSON, LAKE CITY. 



It is a matter of general information that this very unpopular 

 little brown bird, the Passa' d'omesticus of ornithology, is not a 

 species indigenous to this continent but was brought from the old 

 world with the idea that it would prove of inestimable value in pre- 

 serving our trees from a pest of canker worms which threatened 

 their destruction. The first and many of the subsequent importa- 

 tions being from England, the bird soon became known as the 

 English sparrow, giving the impression that it was a species peculiar 

 to England. Across the Atlantic it is commonly called the "European 

 house sparrow," as it is abundant in every country of Europe, and 

 does not frequent forests or uninhabited .districts but is always 

 found near the homes of men. Even in the coldest regions of 

 Scandinavia and Russia it follows mankind as the country is opened 

 up and new settlement made. It adapts itself to any climate, builds 

 its nest in "any available place and of any available material." 



The English Sparrow. 



This adaptability. Prof. Barrows says, has enabled it to endure 

 not only the tropical heat of Australia and the frigid winter of Cana- 

 da, but to thrive and become a burdensome pest in both of these 

 widely separate lands. The introduction of the sparrow into the 

 United States was attended by some difficulty, as at first they did not 

 thrive. So cages were built in which they were cared for during 

 the winter months, and when set free in the parks and cemeteries 

 the following spring shelter and food were provided and men em- 

 ployed to watch them and protect them from any stray hawk, owl 

 or shrike that might imperil their safety. It was several years after 

 the first experiment in 1851 before it was certain that they could 



