256 Bird - Lore 



proof can be given of its value as a seed -destroyer than the follow^ing state- 

 ment of Professor Beal, of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 published in 'Farmers' Bulletin' No. 54, 'Some Common Birds in Their 

 Relation to Agriculture.' 



" The Tree Sparrow ( Spizella monticola ) fairly sw^arms all over the 

 northern states in winter, arriving from the North early in October and 

 leaving in April. Examination of many stomachs shows that in winter the 

 Tree Sparrow feeds entirely upon seeds of weeds; and probably each bird 

 consumes about one-fourth of an ounce a day. In an article contributed to 

 the 'New York Tribune,' in 1881, the writer estimated the amount of 

 weed seed annually destroyed by these birds in the state of Iowa, upon the 

 basis of one-fourth of an ounce of seed eaten daily by each bird, and suppos- 

 ing that the birds average ten to each square mile, and that they remain in 

 their winter range two hundred days, we shall have a total of i ,750,000 pounds 

 or 875 tons, of weed seed consumed by this one species in a single season. 

 Large as these figures may seem, they certainly fall far short of the reality. 

 The estimate of ten birds to a square mile is much within the truth, for the 

 Tree Sparrow is certainly more abundant than this in winter in Massa- 

 chusetts, where the food supply is less than in the western states, and I 

 have known places in Iowa where several thousand could be seen within the 

 space of a few acres." 



Professor Beal's statement refers only to one state; let the farmers of the 

 country try to realize the good done by these Sparrows in all the other states 

 where they are found during a considerable portion of the year, and the sum 

 total seems beyond the comprehension of the human mind. There can be 

 no question of the usefulness of the Tree Sparrow and, further, there is 

 positively no claim that they ever do any harm. Therefore, they are entitled 

 to the fullest protection, especially from agriculturists, and there is no reason 

 wrhy a single one of these birds should ever be killed. The wise and progres- 

 sive farmer will, when the deep snows of the coming winter cover the 

 ground, encourage his little Sparrow friends to remain on his acres by 

 scattering for them in protected places the chafi and sweepings from his 

 barn. The birds will repay his kindness a hundred fold by destroying the 

 seeds of thousands of noxious vi^eeds and to that extent lighten his labors 

 dur'ng the following season. 



Study Points for Teachers and Scholars 



Can you identify the Tree Sparrow, and distinguish it from the other Sparrows found in 

 your locality? Trace on map of North America where this Sparrow is found in summer. 

 Where in winter. When do.you first see them in the fail ? When do they leave in the 

 spring ? What seeds have you seen them feed upon ? How large flocks have you seen ? 

 What other birds have you seen them associate with ? Have you ever heard them sing ? 

 Describe the song. Read "Snow Bound." 



