6 THE ENGLISH SPAKKOW AS A PEST. 



31 contained insects of little or no importance. The bulletin just 

 referred to shows conclusively that, aside from the destruction of 

 weed seed, there is, in general, very little to be said in the sparrow's 

 favor. 



On the other hand much is to be said against the bird. It destroys 

 fruit, as cherries, grapes, pears, and peaches. It also destroys buds 

 and flowers of cultivated trees, shrubs, and vines. In the garden it 

 eats seeds as they ripen, and nips off tender young vegetables, espe- 

 cially peas and lettuce, as they appear above ground, It damages 

 wheat and other grains, whether newly sown, ripening, or in shocks. 

 As a flock of 50 sparrows requires daily the equivalent of a quart of 

 wheat, the annual loss caused by these birds throughout the country 

 is very great. It reduces the numbers of some of our most useful 

 and attractive native birds, as bluebirds, house wrens, purple martins, 

 tree swallows, cliff swallows, and barn swallows, by destroying their 

 eggs and young and by usurping nesting places. It attacks other 

 familiar species, as the robin, wren, red-eyed vireo, catbird, and 

 mocking bird, causing them to desert parks and shady streets of 

 towns. Unlike our native birds whose place it usurps, it has no song. 

 but is noisy and vituperative. It defiles buildings and ornamental 

 trees, shrubs, and vines with its excrement and with its bulky nests. 



The evidence against the English sparrow is, on the whole, over- 

 whelming, and the present unfriendly attitude of the public towards 

 it is reflected in our State laws. Nowhere is it included among pro- 

 tected birds. 



LOCALIZATION. 



Although English sparrows are widely distributed as a species, 

 individuals and flocks have an extremely narrow range, each flock 

 occupying one locality to which its activities are chiefly confined. 

 This fact is favorable to their extermination, for when a place has 

 once been cleared of sparrows some time elapses before it is reoccu- 

 pied. This tendency to remain on special territory was well shown 

 during a recent experiment with a flock in a small city garden. 

 During the fall steady trapping reduced the resident flock in the 

 garden to a dozen individuals, 274 birds having been trapped. The 

 survivors were poisoned. Though another flock lived in the street 

 just beyond the fence, the garden was sparrow free for three months. 

 In the following spring a few sparrows appeared, but were soon 

 trapped. After this the garden continued throughout the summer 

 without a resident flock, and only rarely was it visited by sparrows 

 from other parts of the neighborhood. 



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