98 'I'lIE ENGLISH SI'.\kU(V. 



simply friglittiil. 'I'lu-ir fccuii<lity is .iinaziiif,' ami tiicir adaiUahility apparently 

 limitless. Mr. Harrows, in a s]K.Tial rc|H>rt |)repare(l under tlie direction of 

 the Government, estimates that the increase ni a sinjjle pair, if unhindered, 

 would amount in ten years to 2/',,7i6.cji<i.()CjS birds. 



As to its ranpe, we note that the subjugation of the liast has long l»cen 

 accomplished, and that the con<|uest <tf the West is succeedinjf rapidly. It 

 is not possible to tell precisely when the first Sparrows arrived in Washinglon, 

 but it is probal)lc that they appeared in Si><»kane about 1895. Of its occur- 

 rence in Seattle, Mr. Rathbuii says: "I'rior to the spring of 1S97 I harl 

 never seen this s])ecics in Seattle, but in June of that year I notetl a pair. 

 The following .season 1 saw fourteen: in 1899 this numl)er hail increased to 

 about seventy, associating in small flocks." 



The favorite means of dissemination has l)een the box car. and es])ecially 

 the grain car. The Sparrows. l)eing essentially grain and seed eaters, frequent 

 the grain cars as they stand in the railroad yards, and arc occasionally im- 

 prisoned in them. ho])eful stowaways and "gentlemen of fortune. ' Ou this 

 account, also, the larger cities and railroad towns are first colonized, and at 

 this time of writing (Jan., 1908) the birds are practically confined to them, 

 Tacoma having an esjiecial nott)riety in this respect l)ecause of its immense 

 grain-shipping interests. 



Difficult as it may seem, it is true that the English Sparrow adopts the 

 jxjlicv of Uriah Heep uixin first entering a tf>wn. With all the unctuous 

 humilitv of a band of Mormon apostles, the newcomers talk softly, walk 

 circumspectlv. and either seek to escape notice altogether, or else assiduously 

 cultivate the good o])inion of their dcstineil dupes. Thus. I resided in the town 

 of Blaine for two months (in 1904) without running acr<»ss a single meml)er 

 of the pioneer band of nine English Sparrows, altho I was assure*! on good 

 authority that the birds had l)een there for at least two years previous. 



It requires no testimony to show that the presence of this bird is .ibso- 

 lutelv undesirable. It is a scourge to the agriculturist, a plague to the 

 architect, and the avowed and determined enemy of all other birds. Its nests 

 are not onlv unsightly but unsanitary, and the maudlin racket of their owners 

 unendurable. The bird is. in short, in the words of the late Hr. Coues. "a 

 nuisance without a redeeming cpiality." .\ltho we assent to this most 

 heartilv, we are obliged to confess on the part of our race to a certain amount 

 of sneaking admiration for the Si>arrow. .And why. forsooth? Because he 

 fights! We are forced ti> admire, at times, his bull-ilog courage and tenacitv 

 of purpose, as we <lo the cunning of the weasel and the nimbleness of the 

 flea. He is vermin and must l)e treated as such: but. give the Devil his due. 

 of course. What are we going to do alxnit it? Wage tmceasing warfare, 

 as we do against rats. There will possibly be rats as long as there are men. 



