BIRDS OF INDIANA. 939 



wage war upon them with gun, trap, poison, and every other way that 

 will work. I find that the best results are obtained by destroying the 

 eggs, and using a gun on the adults. But to our help comes natural 

 causes. Some hard winters many of them perish. In Wabash County, 

 and perhaps elsewhere, a great many were destroyed the winter of 

 1892-3 (Ulrey and Wallace, Proc. I. A. S., 1895, p. 154). Cats are 

 efficient aids. I am satisfied the greater part of my grapes were saved 

 in 1897 by a cat which spent hours among the vines and on top the 

 arbors. Several birds have become more useful by their destruction 

 of this sparrow. Shrikes, Blue Jays, and Bronzed Grackles are men- 

 tioned, but sometimes in the country and borders of towns the Spar- 

 row Hawk, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Marsh Hawk, Red- 

 shouldered Hawk, the Short-eared Owl, and occasionally the more rare 

 Pigeon Hawk, eat them. In towns and cities, as well as country, the 

 Screech Owl is a valuable destructive agent. It, and the Sparrow 

 Hawk, especially, should be protected. The House Sparrow is also 

 subject to accidents, and, doubtless, to disease. Prof. C. A. Waldo in- 

 forms me a few years ago, at Greencastle, Ind., of seeing a Sparrow 

 suspended from a building by a string about its neck, while about it 

 was a noisy crowd of its fellows, flying at it and pecking it. 



His query was, whether it committed suicide, was hanged by its 

 fellow-outlaws, or accidentally came to such a fate (See Eeport of 

 Orn. and Mam., U. S. Dept. Agr., Report 1886; also, same Dept., 

 Bulletin No. 1; also, Walter B. Barrows, "The English Sparrow in 

 America," etc., 1889, from which some of the above data is derived). 



128. GENUS AMMODRAMUS SWAIKSON. 



1 . Outer pair of tail feathers longer than the middle pair; wing much longer 

 than tail. Subgenus PASSERCULUS Bonaparte. 



A. sandwichensis savanna (Wils.). 210 



2 . Outer pair of tail feathers shorter than the middle pair; wing not much, if 

 any, longer than tail. 



6 1 . Bill stout; tail feathers narrow and sharp-pointed; center of crown with a 



light stripe. Subgenus COTURNICULUS Bonaparte. 

 c 1 . Tail much shorter than wing; double rounded. 



A. savannarum passerinus (Wils.). 211 



c 2 . Tail about equal to or longer than wing; outer tail feathers shortest. 

 d l . Bill very stout; a dusky streak on each side of the light malar stripe. 



A. henslowii ( Aud. ) . 212 



d 2 . Bill very small and glender; no dusky streak on each side of the light 

 malar stripe. A. leconteii (Aud.). 213 



b 2 . Bill slender; tail feathers sharp pointed; outer ones shortest; center of 

 crown without a light stripe. Subgenus AMMODRAMUS. 



A. caudacutus nelson! Allen. 214 



