THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 153 



and the fourth twenty-five cents, making ten dollars in pre- 

 miums a year. These are paid in addition to the regular 

 price. The native birds have increased noticeably since the 

 crusade began.' 1 



Another notable example is that of Cheyenne, Wyoming, 

 recorded in Lange's "Our Native Birds." Mr. Frank Bond, 

 editor of the Wyoming Tribune, largely exterminates the 

 sparrows from the city by the use of poisoned wheat. He 

 reports his method as follows : 



"I take two small bottles of strychnine, one dram each, 

 and mix the contents with about three quarts of water, boiling 

 until the poison is thoroughly dissolved, using boiling water 

 to begin with. Into the hot poisoned water I stir nearly, if 

 not quite, a peck of wheat, and then set the mixture aside for 

 forty-eight hours. The grain absorbs all the water and 

 swells greatly. I then spread the grain over the bottom of a 

 large pan, one that will just slide into my wife's kitchen 

 range, keep the grain hot and stir it frequently until it is 

 thoroughly dried. The grain must not be scorched in the 

 least, as then the birds, especially the old ones, will not eat 

 it. When the grain is thoroughly dried, it takes a better 

 expert than even an English sparrow to discover any change 

 in its appearance. If an exceedingly deadly grain is wanted, 

 another dram of the poison can be used, but the above will 

 be found effective. It needs but one grain of this wheat to 

 kill a sparrow in three minutes, as I have timed the experi- 

 ment, and the grain gets no farther than the crop and some- 

 times not so far. I scatter the grain sparingly near the 

 roosting places of the birds and in localities where they are 

 accustomed to feed. Snowy, cold weather, when there is 

 little bare ground, is the best time. The baited places should 

 be visited daily, if possible, and the dead birds should be 

 removed. You will be surprised at the killings you will 

 make. By persistent effort, you can enormously reduce their 

 numbers, and that is worth working for." 



