THE SPARROW. 57 



traditional allies, the beautiful and harmless swallow 

 tribe, is still only too evident, and would of itself be a 

 sufficient reason for his execution. 



Of course it will be said that even Sparrows have their 

 use in the economy of nature and should not be thought- 

 lessly wiped out; but there is no more probability of actu- 

 ally extirpatiijgPhilip than of arriving at the same consum- 

 mation in the case of rats and mice, creatures of similar 

 tendencies in the way of uninvited domesticity. And the 

 work of Sparrows, whatever it may be, is equally well 

 performed by the Tree Sparrow (Passer montamis), a pret- 

 tier bird than Passer domesticus, as anyone may observe 

 at Darjeeling, where, as in Japan and in some other parts 

 of the world, the Tree Sparrow is the house-frequenting 

 species. It can easily be distinguished from the house- 

 sparrow by the fact; that both male and female are like the 

 male domestic bird, though slightly smaller and having a 

 chocolate crown instead of a grey one, to say nothing of 

 some minor points of difference. This bird is evidently a 

 mountaineer and forester on account of eligible city 

 sites being barred to it in so many places by its 

 stronger relative ; for when, as happened in one case, 

 both were introduced together into the United States, ifc 

 was found that Passer domesticus soon crowded out his 

 weaker relative, which besides being smaller is much less 

 pugnacious, and not given to annoying other birds ; 

 likewise being a less free breeder, its capacities for mischie- 

 vous increase are far more limited, not the least item in 

 " Philip's " objectionableness being his appalling powers 

 of propagation. Were he, indeed, a less prolific bird no one 



