PEOF. AUGHEY ON THE SPAKEOW QUESTION. 157 



creased very rapidly in spite of all ray men could do to destroy them. And at the 

 south end the elm trees were eaten every June by swarms of canker-worms. Both of 

 these pests have been pretty nearly exterminated, and the trees, many of which would 

 otherwise have died, have been saved. 



"The sparrow is still of great use; but for it, these insects would return, and other 

 pests would attack the trees. Last spring (1876) the buds of many of the larger elms 

 were attacked by a great many of a small kind of lice. The sparrows soon found them 

 out and ate them greedily. Consequently, the foliage, instead of drying up, as it would 

 have done but for the sparrows, was never finer. My men could do nothing. They 

 had no wings like the sparrow, who could cling to the buds and clean them one by 

 one. Yet for all this good the sparrow was doing there were some so prejudiced against 

 it and who can see no good, but only harm, in anything it does, who raised a hue and 

 cry that the sparrows were eating the buds ! Instead of that they were eating the 

 bud-eater ; but instead of being thanked for the good they were doing, they were only 

 abused. I believe that the wages of all my men would not compensate Boston for the 

 loss of the sparrow. 



"In answer to your third question, I say, without hesitation, the sparrow does not 

 molest or interfere with any other bird. It does not trouble the robin or bluebird or 

 manifest any animosity against either. All summer long they are together, and it 

 would be impossible for this to be done without my men or I noticing it, yet I never 

 witnessed anything of the kind. 



"I have not noticed any decrease in the number of birds; on the contrary, a very 

 marked increase of various kinds. The robins were more numerous on the Common 

 last summer than ever before. The little chip-sparrow has become very numerous, and 

 seems to bo very fond of the sparrow, often feeding on the same bit of bread. The 

 small martins have very greatly increased in numbers on account of the number of boxes. 

 These they have taken possession of whenever they want one, and drive the sparrow 

 away. Before the sparrows came there were no bluebirds at all ; now they are be- 

 coming quite common, and often treat the sparrows very badly, taking away their 

 boxes and breaking up their nests. The sparrows, of course, show fight, but the blue- 

 birds are always too strong for them. The writer in the Advertiser, in my opinion, is 

 all wrong. 



"I am all in favor of the sparrows. I believe that they do no harm, but a great 

 deal of good. Thousands of dollars would not pay the city for their loss, and I would 

 be very sorry to see anything done to prejudice people against them or permit their 

 destruction. 



"JOHN GALVIN, 



"Superintendent. 



"Dr. THOMAS M. BREWER." 



Prof. Samuel Aughey, of Liucoln, Nebr., from whom we have already 

 quoted, a gentleman who has paid great attention to the subject of 

 insectivorous birds, has decided opinions on the sparrow question. The 

 following is from his report to the United States Entomological Com- 

 mission : 



" Some persons have advocated the introduction of English sparrows in order to 

 mitigate our insect plagues. Such a policy, it appears to me, would be highly objec- 

 tionable. The moral qualities, or what is near akin to moral qualities, of the English 

 sparrow are bad. Where I have seen this bird in America it has gradually driven oft 

 our small native birds. Around Philadelphia, where it has now monopolized the 

 ground, I last year renewed its acquaintance. I again revisited some of my old haunts 

 where in early life I studied our native birds. I could hardly find a bluebird, a robin, 

 or native sparrow where they were abundant in 1858, 1859, I860, and 1861. The En- 

 glish sparrow, however, greeted me everywhere. It was the opinion of all that I con- 

 sulted that it had driven off the native birds. Certainly this, to say the least, is 



