LIST. 181 



Park Commissioners imported seventy-five spar- 

 rows from Philadelphia, and took such good care 

 of them that all but three died. The three survi- 

 vors managed to escape from the shelter provided 

 for them, and a return to their natural habits filled 

 them with health and vigor. They began to raise 

 families, and in a few years there were hordes of 

 sparrows, while nearly all other birds were driven 

 out of the parks by their pugnacious enemies. 

 Lately, however, the sparrows seem to be less 

 aggressive than they formerly were. Last spring 

 Dr. Hazzard counted in the parks nine robins, 

 four orioles, several blue birds and song birds. 

 There had been seen in the parks, also, during the 

 summer, a red-headed woodpecker, a downy wood- 

 pecker, a flicker, yellow warblers, and several other 

 representative birds of sweet song and bright plum- 

 age. Another encouraging fact was that Dr. Haz- 

 zard had counted this fall in the parks five robins' 

 nests in good repair, and three of last year's slightly 

 damaged, four orioles' nests in good repair and 

 four not so good, as well as eleven other nests 

 built by desirable birds of one sort or another. 

 This made a total of 27 nests, whereas two years 

 ago he had been, able to find but two such birds' 

 nests. 



Dr. Hazzard is led to hope, from his observa- 

 tions, that native American birds are losing their 



10 



