CA NA DIA N II on TICUL TURIST. 



177 



has been writing about our l)eing 

 accountable for the loss of so many 

 shade triMjs by driving off the insect- 

 ivorous birds." 



A member from New Jersey took 

 the floor. " The State that I have the 

 misfortune to represent," said he, " has 

 long been an enemy to our race. 

 They shoot us over there and then sell 

 us in Washington Market for reed 

 birds. The farmers are our enemies. 

 Sometimes we find a young girl or a 

 child who will try to feed and protect 

 us ; but because we prefer the food 

 put out for the chickens and that which 

 we find in the grain fields, to the bugs 

 and worms they want us to eat, they 

 kill us without mercy. Their law is 

 that a sparrow can be killed every day 

 in the year." 



Just at this point Cock Robin spoke 

 up. " What were you brought here 

 for, if it wasn't to eat up the measur 

 ing worms that are destroying all 

 the shade trees 1 " 



This stirred up the belligerent spar- 

 row.s, and the City Hall Park bird 

 called out, " Don't give us any of your 

 sass or we will lick you as we have 



every bird that has been in our way." 

 " Yes," said a cat bird, " You have 

 driven us away from our woods and 

 orchards, where we were a blessing to 

 the farmer, protecting his fruit from 

 insects that are now killing the trees 

 all over the land." The oriole, grosbeak, 

 cherry bird, woodpeckersand flycatchers 

 joined in the chorus against the spar- 

 rows. " Between you sparrows and 

 the women's bonnets we have been 

 almost exterminated," said a Baltimore 

 oriole, as he fluttered his beautiful 

 orange and black plumage. " So it is 

 with us," chimed in the bluebird. "You 

 have driven us from the homes we 

 made in the hollow trees and old 

 fences, and we, who were the flrst to 

 welcome the fanner in the spring, have 

 been scarcely able to fly from tree to 

 tree for the bugs and worms that we 

 feed upon. You are the enemies of 

 man, not his friends. You are not 

 pretty to look at, and you have not 

 even a voice for singing, you screechy, 

 quarrelsome things." 



This was too much for the sparrows, 

 and the convention broke up in a row. 

 As usual, the sparrows got the best 

 of it.—N. Y. Herald. 



