THE UNDERLYING IDEA 63 



and succeeded in inducing his colleagues in a scientific 

 society to share his interest in them. Not wishing to 

 commit the newcomers suddenly to the rigors of the 

 American winter, these men built a large cage for the 

 sparrows, meaning to set them free in the spring. For 

 some reason or other when the winter was over the 

 birds were all dead, and this first attempt to introduce 

 the sparrow into America failed entirely. The little 

 bird had won so many friends that his success was 

 now sure. Finding a favorable opportunity, these 

 Brooklyn men dispatched an order to a man in Eu- 

 rope, asking him to supply them with one hundred 

 English sparrows. The consignment came in good 

 shape and the birds were liberated on the edge of 

 Brooklyn. This was the first of a number of intro- 

 ductions. A little later New York City sent for two 

 hundred and twenty of these interesting creatures and 

 turned them loose in her parks, while Rochester, with 

 what was then considered great public spirit, pur- 

 chased one hundred for herself. But the most pro- 

 gressive city in this respect was Philadelphia. She 

 had long been troubled with the spanworm on her 

 trees. This detestable larva had the unpleasant fash- 

 ion of lowering itself by a long silken thread from 

 the shade trees then so abundant in that beautiful city. 

 The span worms traveling around over the clothing of 

 the passersby were so objectionable to everybody that 



