THE SPARROW'S USEFULNESS IN AMERICA. 75 



according to Mr. Pickering, was selected " as the 

 hieroglyphic character signifying enemy." This writer 

 was led into his investigations of its past history only 

 after noticing exhibitions of its pugnacious disposition, 

 and destructive character, in his native city of Boston. 



In the Proclamation of the Boston Society for 1869, 

 Dr. Brewer speaks of the good which the sparrows 

 have accomplished in New York, in the destruction of 

 the measuring worms of that city, and neighboring cities. 

 In the summer of 1867, he remarks, they were observed 

 actively engaged over the city in clearing trees of worms, 

 and so successfully, that the foliage of none was known 

 to be eaten. Great hopes were entertained by him of 

 the incalculable services which they would render to 

 this country, not merely in keeping measuring worms, 

 but also canker worms, caterpillars, and possibly curculio 

 in check. In the work entitled u North American 

 Birds," his earliest views, the results of his own observa- 

 tions, are doubtless expressed. Read what he says: 



" Apprehensions have been expressed that these new- 

 comers may molest and drive away our own native 

 birds. How this may be when the sparrows become 

 more numerous cannot now be determined, but so far 

 they manifest no such disposition. Since their intro- 

 duction into Boston, the chipping sparrows appear to 

 have increased, and to associate by preference with their 

 European visitors, feeding with them unmolested. I 

 have been unable to detect a single instance in which 

 they have been molested in any manner by their larger 

 companions." 



In September's issue of the "American Naturalist" for 

 1874, in answer to a small article which was published 

 in a previous number, in which Dr. Coues sets forth some 



