BIRDS OF INDIANA. 939 



wage war upon them with gun, trap, poison, and every other way that 

 will work. I find that the best results are obtained by destroying the 

 eggs, and using a gun on the adults. But to our help comes natural 

 causes. Some hard winters many of them perish. In Wabash County, 

 and perhaps elsewhere, a great many were destroyed the winter of 

 1892-3 (Ulrey and Wallace, Proc. I. A. S., 1895, p. 154). Cats are 

 efficient aids. I am satisfied the greater part of my grapes were saved 

 in 1897 by a cat which spent hours among the vines and on top the 

 arbors. Several birds have become more useful- by their destruction 

 of this sparrow. Shrikes, Blue Jays, and Bronzed Crackles are men- 

 tioned, but sometim.es in the country and borders of towns the Spar- 

 row Hawk, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Marsh Hawk, Eed- 

 shouldered Hawk, the Short-eared Owl, and occasionally the more rare 

 Pigeon Hawk, eat them. In towns and cities, as well as country, the 

 Screech Owl is a valuable destructive agent. It, and the Sparrow 

 Hawk, especially, should be protected. The House Sparrow is also 

 subject to accidents, and, doubtless, to disease. Prof. C. A. Waldo in- 

 forms me a few years ago, at Greencastle, Ind., of seeing a Sparrow 

 suspended from a building by a string about its neck, while about it 

 was a noisy crowd of its fellows, flying at it and pecking it. 



His query was, whether it committed suicide, was hanged by its 

 fellow-outlaws, or accidentally came to such a fate (See Eeport of 

 Orn. and Mam., U. S. Dept. Agr., Eeport 1886; also, same Dept, 

 Bulletin No. 1; also, Walter B. Barrows, "The English Sparrow in 

 America," etc., 1889, from which some of the above data is derived). 



128. GENUS AMMODRAMUS SWAIXSON. 



1 . Outer pair of tail feathers longer than the middle pair; wing much longer 

 than tail. Subgenus PASSERCULUS Bonaparte. 



A. sandwichensis savanna (Wils.). 210 



2 . Outer pair of tail feathers shorter than the middle pair; wing not much, if 

 any, longer than tail. 



b l . Bill stout; tail feathers narrow and sharp-pointed; center of crown with a 



light stripe. Subgenus COTURNICULUS Bonaparte. 

 c 1 . Tail much shorter than wing; double rounded. 



A. savannarum passerinus (Wils.). 211 



c 2 . Tail about equal to or longer than wing; outer tail feathers shortest. 

 d l . Bill very stout; a dusky streak on each side of the light malar stripe. 



A. henslowii ( Aud. ) . 212 



d 2 . Bill very small and slender; no dusky streak on each side of the light 

 malar stripe. A. leconteii (Aud.). 213 



b 2 . Bill slender; tail feathers sharp pointed; outer ones shortest; center of 

 crown without a light stripe. Subgenus AMMODRAMUS. 



A. caudacutus nelsoni Allen. 214 



