PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 315 



increase their numbers by purchasing such hardy, small birds, as 

 wrens, chipbirds, etc., which will live through the winter in our 

 city, and placing them in all our city squares and parks. Next 

 they should be requested to import during the winter, prepara- 

 tory in the spring, some of the small birds of Europe, which live 

 on Avorras — such as the finches and linnets — to be placed in our 

 parks for the double purpose of destroying the vermin, and for 

 gladdening the ears of the people by their cheerful caroling. 

 More especially would I recommend the importation of the spar- 

 row, a bird of little beauty, resembling, but a little larger, our 

 chipbird, and of much more sociability. Those who have traveled 

 in France and England must have observed the flights of these 

 little birds, which fill the court-yards of the hotels, picking chance 

 crumbs and seeds from the ground, and which, when startled by 

 the motion of the stage-coaches or diligence, fly to their nests 

 under the eaves, or in boxes, placed. like dove-cots upon the sides 

 of the buildings. These birds are very prolific — among the mx)st 

 so of all tame birds, having several nests of five or six young 

 during each season. One little wren has been known to destroy 

 several hundred worms per day. Surely, then, no one can doubt 

 the possibility of a plan for ridding the city of a most annoying 

 evil, and substituting in their stead, at a trifling cost, these little 

 twitterers — I cannot call them songster^ — whose very presence, 

 as they hop along the ground, or fly, laden with green, brown or 

 yellow worms, and hairy caterpillars, will be a constant source 

 of pleasure. 



The sparrow is so prolific a breeder as to quite overrun portions 

 of England, and rewards are offered for their destruction in many 

 places. The cost of a thousand would be but trifling, and if dis- 

 tributed around our parks, and suitable measures be taken to pre- 

 vent their destruction by boys and cats, the city would soon be 

 full of them, and the worm nuisance entirely dissipated. These 

 plans both seem to be not only possible, but eminently desirable. 

 Should they commend themselves to your understanding, I trust 

 that you will adopt some proper method of carrying them into 

 immediate execution. 



Dr. Trimble. — 1 doubt whether the birds would learn to live 

 amid the smoke and dust of the city, even if the boys would 

 leave them alone. I have made the subject of insects a study 

 for some years past. I have great hopes that the measure- worm 

 is soon to be destroyed, for I find that the ichneumon fly 



