130 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



ENGLISH SPARROWS. 



Our invitation to contribute towards the English Sparrow Fund has- 

 borne fruit. We have received one hundred and fifteen postals and 

 many letters. Out of this number we find four only who favor the bird 

 in question. We will publish the sentiments of the four friends, but as 

 our space is limited we find we can in this issue print but sixteen of the 

 condemnations. After reading these opinions from different sections 

 of the country, we wish the reader to remember that the injurious sides 

 of this discussion is to be multiplied by eight in order to get the correct 

 ratio of the opinions of those who replied to our request. We wish to 

 thank all our correspondents for the interest they have shown in the 

 matter and trust that we may be able in a future number to print more 

 of them. 



The following three believe the English Sparrow to be a welcome 

 and useful addition to our bird life, while the fourth is "on the fence" 

 as we might say: 



Medford, Mass. 

 I am very much interested in English Sparrows. I have watched 

 them a good deal for a great many years and have no faith in the pop- 

 ular opinion that they drive away other birds. I have lived where 

 there were a great many of them ever since they were brought here, 

 and there has never been a scarcity of other birds, and I have never 

 seen them quarreling with them. All birds are quarrelsome as far as 

 my experience shows, but I think I have seen more quarreling among 

 Goldfinches and Swallows than among EnglishSparrows. I have seen 

 the latter eat a great many worms too, and I think that anybody, old 

 enough to remember about our canker worms before English Sparrows- 

 came, must acknowledge how they have diminished, which was what 

 they were brought here for I believe, and I hope they will be protected 

 as they are here. M. A. Ayres. 



Stockbridge, Mass. 

 1 believe English Sparrows to do more good than harm. Before we 

 had them in New York, from every tree in the spring, worms dangled 

 and dropped on our bonnets. It is said they frighten other birds away 

 but in Central Park, New York, there are many Sparrows and also 

 quantities of other birds. I've seen a tiny House Wren rout a Sparrow. 

 If people were allowed to kill them Song Sparrows and Vesper Spar- 

 rows would probably be killed by those not observant enough to know 

 the difference between a female Song Sparrow and these birds. 



V. Butler. 



[I can add that I have seen a tiny House Wren rout an English Spar- 

 row, but I have also seen a whole mob of the latter nearly kill a House 

 Wren; they do not fight singly. — Ed.] 



