152 BIRD FRIENDS 



1. Am I harboring a cat which may be a disease-carrier? 



2. Does my cat trespass on the grounds of other peo- 

 ple and interfere with their plans for saving or at- 

 tracting birds? 



3. How' many wild birds does my cat catch and bring 

 to my notice every year? 



4. Does my cat wander free at night, disturbing my 

 neighbors by fighting with other cats or by making 

 harassing noises? 



5. Am I perfectly sure that my cat is a good mouser? 



6. Am I sure that rats and mice about barns and 

 houses cannot be more effectively destroyed by 

 some other means than cats? 



7. Am I justified in keeping cats which breed fre- 

 quently and in letting their progeny go here, there, 

 and everywhere? 



8. Do I know how many stray cats are about my 

 neighborhood? 



9. Am I taking a broad-minded view of the cat question? 

 Any person who considers this matter in the light of 



the public welfare, instead of his own personal interests, 

 is the right kind of citizen. Nowadays, we live in com- 

 munities which are too thickly populated to warrant a 

 superabundance of any animal, be it cat, dog, bird, or 

 pig. Favor should be given to those creatures which are 

 doing the most good and not to those which are doing the 

 most harm. 



The English Sparrow 



Ways in which it is harmful. Perhaps the Eng- 

 lish sparrow ranks next to the cat as an enemy of 

 certain birds which it most directly affects. The birds 

 which it especially injures are those which seek simi- 

 lar nesting-sites, such as the wren, bluebird, martin, 

 and tree swallow. These birds, like the sparrow, 



