226 Twelve Months With 



is said that he drives away other birds, that he is 

 filthy in his habits, that he destroys immense quan- 

 tities of grain, beans, fruit, etc., and that he is an 

 all-around pest! 



As to the charge of driving away other birds, 

 my own observation has been that, considering 

 their numbers, they are no more quarrelsome than 

 other birds. I have many times seen them worsted 

 in fights with little house wrens, and have often 

 observed one robin scare away a half dozen spar- 

 rows with one fluff of his wing or tail. Bluebirds 

 are not quarrelsome, but if the right sort of a 

 box is erected in a suitable place they will rout 

 the sparrows and occupy the box. 



A recent writer goes to the ridiculous extreme 

 of giving statistics as to the number of attacks 

 made by sparrows on other birds. Such figures 

 prove nothing. A startling table of this kind 

 might be made as to a great many of our common 

 and much beloved birds. 



The statement that the sparrows drive away the 

 other birds comes with ill grace from those who 

 never offer an invitation to the "other birds" to 

 nest near their homes, and never give them any 

 sort of encouragement or protection, winter or 

 summer. 



I rejoice to find one ornithologist who is not 

 blinded by the popular prejudices. Mrs. Nellie 

 B. Doubleday (Neltje Blanchan, pseud.), in her 

 delightful book, "How to Attract the Birds," 

 writes : 



