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Bird -Lore 



nests and 1,000 eggs were destroyed. No 

 young birds were found. The protest 

 against the work, based mainly on senti- 

 mental grounds, which Mr. Angell, of the 

 S. P. C. A., put forth, resulted in two 

 picturesque hearings at the City Hall. An 

 account of these hearings, with some of 

 their informal adjuncts, would certainly 

 entertain and instruct the readers of Bird- 

 Lore were it possible to embody it here.' 



Let it sufiice to say, that the weight of 

 common sense, of real humanity, and< of 

 economics, as well as of science in over- 

 whelming measure, was, in the judgment 

 of the best informed, wholly with those 

 who would reduce the Sparrow. The 

 Mayor, however, decided to suspend the 

 work, assigning as a reason the difficulty 

 and expense of continuing it. The com- 

 mittee sent to the Mayor a letter express- 

 ing its regret that the work should thus 

 be brought to an untimely close, and fully 

 outlining plans for its continuance At 

 the present writing, no definite prospect is 

 in sight of the resumption of the work. 

 The committee proposed, after the closure 

 of the nesting orifices, to pull down by 

 moans of hooked poles such nests as were 

 built by the Sparrows in the branches of 

 the trees on the Common and Garden, 

 timing visits so as to destroy nests and 

 eggs only, thus preventing the hatching 

 of young. With the onset of cold weather 

 it was proposed to trap and destroy the 

 Sparrow by devices which were already 

 proved at once efficient and merciful. 

 These two methods, aided, perhaps, by 

 others, carefully planned to avoid cruelty, 

 were the ones much relied on by the 

 committee to do the needed work of 

 clearance. 



After the stoppage ol' tlie work the 

 Mayor wrote to Chairman Osgood, asking 

 his opinion as to the advisability of putting 

 up bird-houses on the Common, so built, 

 without perches, as to keep out the Sparrow 

 and admit the White-bellied Swallow, 

 Bluebird and House Wren. Mr. Osgood 

 replied in efl'ect that perchless bird-houses, 

 judging from recent evidence, would prob- 

 ably in\ite and shelter the breeding of 

 the Sparrow, and, willi the Common still 



uncleared, would hardly aid in restoring 

 any native bird. He was willing, under 

 certain strict conditions, that the e.xperi- 

 ment should be tried purely as an experi- 

 ment, provided that every box should be 

 instantly removed upon proof that these 

 perchless devices sheltered the Spar- 

 row. He, however, expressed little hope 

 that any good would come of such a 

 measure beyond the absolute demonstra- 

 tion, once for all, and publicly, that perch- 

 less boxes were not Sparrow-proof. The 

 " Sparrow committee" could not advise the 

 putting up of bird-boxes under existing 

 circumstances, and if any are erected the 

 responsibility for the trial will not rest in 

 Any way with this committee. At this 

 writing, the Sparrows shut out from the 

 tree orifices are building to some extent in 

 the branches of the trees upon the Com- 

 mon. To note how extensively this breed- 

 ing is carried on this season, and to attain 

 general information as to the presence of 

 any native birds upon the Common and 

 Garden, a patrol of the Boston Branch of 

 the American Society of Bird Restorers 

 has been assigned to observation work 

 through the spring and summer. 



Results will be officially reported to the 

 National Biological Survey (U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture) at Washington, D. C. 

 Fletcher Osgood, 



Organizer aiul Maiing;cr of the American Society 

 of Bird Restorers. 



Reports of Societies 



MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



In February and March, Mr. Ralph 

 Hoffmann gave a course of eight lectures 

 on birds, under the auspices of the 

 Society. These were well attended, and 

 not only increased the interest in bird 

 study, but informed the public more fully 

 of the work of the Society, and also added I 

 materially to the treasury. ^ 



March 22nd, the Society held a ' Hat 



Show ' at the Vendome, which was a sue- ; 



f 

 cess. Many ot the best milliners i 



exhibited, and it served the purpose | 



of interesting both milliners and public | 



in the work ol bird protection. In spite 



i 



