THE SPARROW'S USEFULNESS IN AMERICA. 85 



"Their value as a means of defence against the ravages 

 of insects and worms upon foliage and plants, is in an 

 inverse ratio to the amount of other food at their com- 

 mand. If there is an abundance of grain and offal 

 suited to their tastes, at their disposal, they will not 

 exert themselves in search of worms. They get in their 

 best work on insects and caterpillars by destroying their 

 larvfe during the winter season when other means of 

 subsistence are scarce." 

 Again : 



" They prefer to build their nests in small boxes placed 

 fifteen or twenty feet above the ground on trees in pub- 

 lic streets, walks, or grounds. When a sufficient number 

 of these is not supplied, they will build in hollow cor- 

 nices, brackets, window caps, or in projections of any 

 character on the walls, or under the eaves of houses 

 always selecting the front or most public exposure. In 

 these localities they, from their noise and droppings, 

 often become great sources of annoyance." 



An anonymous writer, in "Forest and Stream" for 

 Ma}^, 1877, writes in disparaging terms of the sparrow's 

 usefulness. After alluding to its introduction into In- 

 dianapolis for the purposes of " worming" and " bug- 

 ging," the writer says, 



" From less than a hundred they are now become 

 thousands, and still the caterpillar swings its nest on 

 the elm and pear tree. The miller flits in undiminished 

 numbers about the evening lamps. In fact, it is believed 

 that these foreigners are mere scavengers, alighting upon 

 the streets, and eating offal with our common pigeons." 

 In ]N"ew York City and surroundings, evidence of the 

 sparrow's jealous disposition and destructive propensi- 



