The English Sparrow 359 



branches of shade-trees. The materials used are straw, grass, twigs, rags, 

 fragments of paper, or feathers ; in fact almost any substance that may 

 easily be carried. 



The eggs are spotted, and usually range in number from four to six. 

 Two or more broods are often reared in a season. The Sparrow is ex- 

 tremely prolific, and one evidence of its wonderful ability to avoid dangers 

 and thrive is shown in the fact that in large cities, 

 where destructive natural enemies are reduced to a e ?,,* y l 



,,..,, , . Alhmism 



minimum, albinism has become more and more notice- 

 able. I have observed here in New York City in recent years that the 

 number of Sparrows showing white feathers in the wings or on the body 

 has apparently increased. If these unusually marked birds lived in the 

 country they would, of course, be shining marks for enemies. 



While primarily a seed-eater by nature, the English Sparrow is never- 

 theless almost omnivorous in its food-habits, and annually destroys many 

 insects. I recall some years ago talking with two farmers in Onslow 

 County, North Carolina, who were lamenting the fact 

 that the law did not protect the English Sparrow, Utility 



for they stated that these birds were among the most 

 valuable species on their farms, because of their great fondness for the 

 caterpillars that infested their tobacco plants. 



An observer in the United States Department of Agriculture recently 

 found that in Utah these Sparrows were feeding their young largely on 

 the cutworms and other young insects that were then a scourge to the 

 alfalfa fields of northern Utah. Other observers in various parts of the 

 country have pointed to instances where the English Sparrow was of 

 decided economic value. These cases, however, appear to be compara- 

 tively isolated ones, and are regarded by our agricultural experts in 

 Washington as being greatly over-balanced by the injury these birds do. 



Most persons who have tried to cultivate gardens or small fruits in 

 the neighborhood of towns or cities, are ready to testify to the annoy- 

 ance they have experienced by English Sparrows eating tender plants, 

 such as new peas and young lettuce, as well as in the destruction of such 

 fruits as cherries, pears, grapes, and peaches. They also frequently de- 

 stroy buds and flowers of cultivated shrubs and trees. 



The United States Department of Agriculture scientifically investi- 

 gated the contents of the stomachs of a large number 

 of English Sparrows, and reported that, aside from 

 the destruction of weed-seeds, very little is to be said 

 in the English Sparrow's favor. In reference to the insects destroyed, 

 this statement is made: "Out of five hundred and fifty-two stomachs in- 

 spected by the Biological Survey, forty-seven contained noxious insects, 

 fifty held beneficial insects, and thirty-one contained insects of little or no 

 importance." 



There is a wide-spread feeling that the country would be better off 

 if the English Sparrow had never been brought here. This sentiment 



