REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 23 



These figures show clearly the little danger that exists for other animals. As 

 a matter of fact I have seen a good sized dog eat, in five minutes, six poisoned 

 sparrows without the least bad effect. I have also seen cats devour from three 

 to four within half an hour and no serious consequences followed. Both figures 

 and facts go to show that no fears should he entertained on this question. 



But what about chickens and other birds? Evidently the danger is real. As 

 to chickens, the solution is very simple; do not place or scatter the seed where 

 they can reach it. For other birds the difliculty is not so easily solved. However, 

 let us not forget that but very few of the species living near our dwellings eat 

 wheat: the native sparrow is the only one I know around Montreal. To protect 

 these we can take advantage of their early migration south. Apart from this 

 we can use other precautions. For example, scatter the grain only a few minutes 

 before the sparrows come down in flocks from the trees, and after they have 

 finished, bury or sweep up the remainder. It is well to note that even native spar- 

 rows eat but little wheat. In a garden where I scattered poisoned wheat indis- 

 criminately and without precaution, I picked up bodies of only three native 

 sparrows, while at the same time 4,000 house sparrows were poisoned. 



Now the next question is the cost of these operations. The figures quoted 

 above to show the harmlessness of the poison afford us an easy means of calcula- 

 ting the expense. Buying nitrate at the rate of S2.50 an ounce we can poison 

 sparrows at a rate of 240 for one cent, according to laboratory experiments. For 

 practical purposes, however, we shall be content with 1-10, or 24 sparrows for 

 one cent. These figures will square pretty well with these successive lists made 

 during the past season. In the first, 600 birds were killed at the rate of 24 for 

 one cent; in the second 1900 at the rate of 40 for one cent and in the third 900 at 

 rate of 20 for one cent. In these figures no account is taken of birds dropping 

 outside the grounds on which the experiments were carried out. 



Now a word about the experiments. After many smaller experiments both 

 in the laboratory and in the open I decided to test the poison on a larger scale. 

 This was carried on in a garden during the month of August, 1918. The grain 

 was scattered in select places and the sparrows were closely watched for upwards 

 of an hour each day. The result was that 4,000 bodies picked up in the garden 

 itself were buried during the month (from August 7th to September 7th). Now 

 I think I am safe in saying that one third as many more died outside the garden, 

 and of course were not taken into consideration. 



From this I conclude that the efficiency of the method cannot be questioned, 

 and it is my humble opinion that with perseverance and co-operation the sparrow 

 nuisance can be efTectivelv controlled. 



