244 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The frequency with which the name of the English s^mrrow 

 appears is a little misleadhig, and needs some explanation. 

 While all our observers agree that the sparrow is by far the 

 most common bird in the infested region, only five report 

 having seen them destroying the moth, and two of these say 

 that the birds seemed to kill it out of mere wantonness, and 

 did not eat it. It is also true that the moth is very abundant 

 in the cities and villages where the sparrows are most 

 plentiful, and that the caterpillars, moths and eggs occupy 

 the bird-houses and nests of the sparrow, where they and 

 the young sparrows form a sort of ha})py family. This 

 sparrow is evidently a friend of the moth, inasmuch as it 

 eats but few, and drives away native birds which eat many. 

 The English sparrow is by structure and habit a grain and 

 fruit eating bird. The Almighty never created it to eat 

 insects. 



The robin, blue jay, blue bird, both cuckoos, the chipping 

 sparrow, redstart, yellow warbler, the oriole and all three 

 vireos have been seen to eat the caterpillar with regularity 

 and frequency. It is well known that some of these birds 

 eat hairy caterpillars ; but it is somewhat surprising, when 

 we consider the disagreeable nature of the hairy covering 

 of this species, that such birds as the small sparrows, war- 

 blers and titmice destroy them in such numbers. 



Several instances are known where isolated colonies of the 

 gypsy moth have been apparently exterminated by birds. I 

 fear that the valuable services of our native birds are not 

 appreciated by the rural po})ulation, else the laws made to 

 protect them would be more stringently enforced, and the 

 birds would be fostered instead of beini? shot. 



o 



Results of the Work. 



The statute under which this task was undertaken was 

 entitled " An Act to prevent the spreading and secure the 

 extermination of the ocneria dispar or gypsy moth in this 

 Connnon wealth." 



So far as the first clause is concerned, we seem to have 

 been entirely successful. Although many tales and rumors 

 of its presence in other towns and cities have been published, 

 they have had no foundation in fact. The insects referred 



