56 



* Passer domesticus (Linn.). HOUSE SPARROW ; ENGLISH 

 SPARROW. From the report of the Division of Economic Ornitho- 

 logy of the Department of Agriculture (Washington, 1889), we learn 

 that English Sparrows were first introduced into New York City 

 in 1860, when twelve birds were released in Madison Square. In 

 1864 they were introduced in Central Park, and in 1866 two hundred 

 were set free in Union Park. From these, and one or two other 

 small additional importations of a few pairs each, have descended 

 the countless numbers of Sparrows which to-day inhabit our streets 

 and parks. In this latitude the English Sparrow has been known 

 to rear six broods in a season, and their marvellous rate of increase 

 is graphically given in a table in the Report already mentioned, 

 which shows that in ten years the progeny of a single pair might 

 amount to 275, 716, 983, 698! 



With the discordant notes of these ubiquitous little pests 

 constantly in our ears we may read with mixed humor and regret 

 the following quotation from Mr. Lawrence's Catalogue of New 

 York Birds (Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist, VIII, 1866, p. 287): "I first 

 observed them in the spring of 1865. A friend, conversant with 

 our local native birds, informed me that he had seen a species in 

 the shrubbery around the church on the corner of 5th avenue and 

 29th street, with which he was not familiar; on going to ascertain 

 what they were, to my surprise I found them to be House Sparrows ; 

 they were domiciled in the ivy which grew on the walls of the 

 church, and were quite gentle and fearless, some alighting in the 

 street and dusting themselves quite near to where I stood." 



The European Chaffinch (Fri/igilla Calebs), several pairs of 

 which were released in Central Park under the direction of Mr. 

 Eugene Schiefflin in 1890, appears not to have survived. 



*22p. Carpodacus purpureus (Gmel.). PURPLE FINCH. (517.) 

 Eastern North America, breeding from northern Minnesota 

 and Long Island northward, and wintering from the Northern 

 States to the Gulf. In the vicinity of New York City the Purple 

 Finch is a rather rare summer resident, a very common migrant, 

 and not common winter resident. It is apparently increasing in 

 numbers during the summer on Long Island (Dutcher, MS.). 



*230. Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehrn). AMERICAN CROSS- 

 BILL. (521.) Breeds from the Northern States northward and, in 

 the Alleghanies, southward to the Carolinas ; in winter wanders 

 irregularly southward, sometimes reaching the Gulf. It is here 

 a regular winter visitant. This erratic species has on several 

 occasions been found breeding south of its regular breeding range. 



