46 



WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



the birds and study their peculiarities at close 

 range. One thing in particular has impressed 

 me while making these observation, and that 

 is the variation in dispositions among the 

 birds of the same species, or kind. Some are 

 very timid, some are quite gentle and not 

 easily alarmed, and some are bold and aggres- 

 sive. The regular patrons of the "free lunch 

 table" are English sparrows. Towhees, White 

 and Golden crowned sparrows, Juncoes and 

 Heermann Song Sparrows. Although the House 

 Finches, or Linnets, were numerous about the 

 place, for a long time, or to be more precise, 

 two years, they seemed to be above being 

 seen in the "bread line," but they now are 

 my most numerous visitors and freely par- 

 take of the seeds daily thrown out for the 

 birds. 



In watching the actions and behavior of 

 the birds another thing struck me as worthy 

 of note, and that was the independence, cour- 

 age and fighting qualities of the little Song 

 sparrow. Time and time again I have seen 

 this smallest of all my visitors drive intrud- 

 ing members of the other sparrow families 

 away. Once I saw it put to flight five English 

 sparrows. It does not seem to hold the same 

 degree of enmity toward the White crowned, 

 but does not hesitate to attack them whenever 

 its part of the feast is encroached upon. Of 

 course, the bigger Towhee is the bully about 

 the table. He lords it over all present. 



The English sparrow has the reputation of 

 being most selfish and pugnacious — qualities 

 which he is credited with manifesting in a 

 shameful way, making life so unpleasant for 

 other bird people that they leave the terri- 

 tory frequented by the foreigners. I am sure 

 I held this opinin, not from observation, how- 

 ever, but from the numerous newspaper 

 squibs aimed at the bird. Now I must say 

 that from what I have seen from my window 

 the English sparrow has been maligned. While 

 he may be properly classed among the 

 "undesirables" on account of his queer appear- 



ance, his disagreeable voice and his flocking 

 habits, he is as well-behaved as the other vis- 

 itors here, all of whom make him stand back 

 from the desirable feeding spots. This being 

 so, why should he be accused of driving other 

 birds out of a locality? Other birds do go 

 and come. White crowned sparrows were 

 constantly around our premises every day for 

 more than two years. Subsequently every last 

 one disappeared, but after an absence of a few 

 months they returned in smaller numbers. I 

 would be surprised if other and better reasons 

 than the English sparrows could not be found 

 to account for the disappearance of certain 

 species of birds from localities where they had 

 been commonly noted. 



The "free lunch table" in front of my win- 

 dow is supplied with bird seed only. There is 

 no tablecloth supplied. The food is just scat- 

 tered on the ground over the area of several 

 feet, so as to give the weaker birds a chance. 

 While the seed remains on top of the ground 

 it is easy work for all of the visitors, but in a 

 little while there is nothing left but what is 

 down among the clods or has been covered 

 with earth by the birds hopping about. Then 

 the place has no further attraction for the 

 White crowned and Song sparrows. They ap- 

 pear to be poor scratchers. But with the 

 Towhee scratching is its strong forte. I have 

 had them dig up every single garden pea in a 

 bed where the seed had been planted two 

 inches deep, and not a seed pea had been left 

 on top of the ground to advertise the plant- 

 ing. And they did not dig or scratch indis- 

 criminately like a hen, either, but went right 

 down the rows without missing a seed. The 

 English sparrow does not leave the lunch 

 table, because he is compelled to exert him- 

 self to some extent. But he does not scratch — 

 he noses the vagrant seeds from among the 

 clods and dirt with his beak. The way he 

 makes the dirt fly with that bill would put to 

 shame some shovelers I have seen employed 

 on public work. 



CARPENTER BEE — NATURAL SIZE. 



