6o THE ENGLISH SPARROW 



From AVIFAUNA COLUMBIANA, 



By dr. ELLIOTT COUES, and D. W. 

 PRElNrTISS. 



A VERY disturbing element has been introduced since 

 our list originally appeared ; namely, the European 

 Sparrow. Though nearly every one — even among those 

 vv^ho were instrumental in importing the pest — admits that 

 we made a great blunder, all are slow to be persuaded of 

 the enormity of the mischief these little creatures will 

 work in the course of time. With this, however, we have 

 here nothing to do ; we only bring up the subject in con- 

 nection with the decrease in the number and variety of our 

 native singing-birds in, the city itself. This is a fact which 

 probably every one has noticed, and which few pretend to 

 deny any longer. It is not due to the building up of the 

 city and the increase in the population, as some have 

 supposed. The city is parked and preserved nearly 

 throughout, and full of shade and ornamental trees. The 

 actual number of trees is vastly greater than it was in the 

 cow-pasture days of the ante bellinii epoch ; and there is 

 no reason why those birds which ordinarily inhabit cities 

 should not be at least as numerous as ever, or rather more 

 so, were they not driven away by the sparrow. It would 

 perhaps be more accurate to say, were they not crowded 

 and elbowed out of the way ; the impress made by the 

 sturdy little foreign vulgarians upon the native population 

 being effected rather by their numbers, their persistency, 

 turbulence, and noisiness, than by their pugnacity or 

 aggressiveness; though downright acts of hostihty maybe 

 continually witnessed. In fine, there is not food and room 

 enough for many other birds where sparrows are numerous. 



