84 THE HOUSE SPARROW. 



uselessness in the destruction of the rose-bug and a spe- 

 cies of green worm, and their peculiar penchant for cher- 

 ries, concludes his interesting sketch in the following 

 language: 



" From what I have seen I know from experience that 

 the sparrow is a good-for-nothing, domineering bird, and 

 any casual observer cannot help but notice that they are 

 always fighting among themselves, and if one picks up 

 a crumb or worm the others pursue him to the death 

 almost, to take it away, and more times than one have 

 I seen him drop a ' rare bit' trying to flee from his 

 companions. They let orchards go to ruin, for they will 

 not eat every kind of insect, and the cornices and win- 

 dow tops of the houses in our cities present a disgraceful 

 sight from their droppings, they preferring to build their 

 nest in the eaves of houses and spend their time among 

 dung hills in the street, rather than protect the orchards, 

 which they were transported for. They are given to 

 wanton laziness, and I recommend that the Acclimatiza- 

 tion Society ship them all home again, and bring Eng- 

 lish starlings, nightingales, and the like, and while they 

 are about it, bring over some English partridge and 

 woodcock." 



J. H. Batty, Esq., of New Utrecht, X. Y., than whom 

 no better authority upon the sparrow exists in that 

 State, has placed upon record the history of its pugna- 

 cious disposition and destructive propensities. 



H. G-. Carey, Esq., of Indianapolis, la., although a 

 warm friend to the sparrow, in the midst of the many 

 excellent things which he says about the species, for ex- 

 amples, their wholesale destruction of noxious insects, 

 and the friendly relations which the}^ have established 

 with our native birds, consistently affirms, 



