358 The English Sparrow 



were removed to the house of Mr. John Hooper, one of the committee, 

 who offered to take care of them during the winter. 



"In the spring of 1853 they were all let loose in the grounds of Green- 

 wood Cemetery, and a man hired to watch them. They did well and 

 multiplied, and I have original notes taken from time to time of their 

 increase and colonization over our great country." 



This appears to have been only the first of many importations that 

 followed. For example, Colonel William Rhodes of Quebec, Canada, 

 introduced Sparrows at Portland, Maine, in 1854. Other men brought 

 some to Peace Dale, Rhode Island, in 1858. In 1860 twelve birds were 

 liberated in Madison Square, New York City, and four years later they 

 were introduced into Central Park. In 1866 two hun- 

 dred were set free in Union Park, New York City. 

 Forty pairs were brought to New Haven, Connecti- 

 cut, in 1867. Twenty Sparrows were turned loose in Boston Common 

 in 1868. In 1869 the City Government of Philadelphia brought over 

 one thousand Sparrows. In the same year twenty pairs were taken to 

 Cleveland, Ohio, and sixty-six pairs to Cincinnati, and shortly after they 

 were introduced in San Francisco and elsewhere in the West. 



It will be seen therefore from the above records, which are not at all 

 complete, that the present population of English Sparrows did not de- 

 velop in this 'country from a single importation, as has sometimes been 

 stated. 



Not only were they distributed artificially, but the birds also spread 

 rapidly by their own initiative. Their progress was made chiefly along 

 the highways, where the droppings of horses furnished an abundant 

 supply of half-digested grain, and along the railroads where the grain- 

 cars, particularly in autumn, were continually scattering food. 



At the present time there are comparatively few communities! in the 



United States or in southern Canada where the English Sparrow is not 



well-known, and probably it is the most numerous species of bird in 



North America. It is chiefly a bird of the cities and 



Persistent towns, and is usually not found in abundance in the 

 Town-Dweller , . , , , J . . 



thinly populated parts of the country. In the autumn, 



however, when the Sparrows are most numerous, owing to recently 

 reared broods, many of these birds are naturally forced out of the cities 

 and towns in quest of food. 



In no way does the English Sparrow show its fondness for living 

 near human habitation more than in its nesting habits. Unlike other 

 Sparrows, it rarely if ever constructs its nest in woods, thickets, or fields, 

 at any considerable distance from a house. During the breeding season 

 the birds swarm in the towns and cities and there, in crevices about build- 

 ings, in water-spouts, or in boxes put up for the convenience of other 

 birds, it makes its home. The hollows of trees are frequently used for 

 this purpose. When such nesting-sites are no longer available, owing to 

 overcrowding, they will build rough, bulky, covered nests among the 



