European House Sparrow. 165 
Gardeners complain of its ravages on seeds and green 
peas, while the fruit growers suffer also from its plundering 
nearly all the different kinds of soft fruit,—but grapes 
seem to be its favorite fruit. 
It has often been stated in favor of the sparrow that they 
destroy caterpillars, worms and the smaller insects that are 
injurious to trees and vegetables; but from frequent 
observations and dissections by experts, it has been proved 
that while they are young, they are fed partly on insects, 
but as they reach maturity, their food consists almost 
wholly of grain,—while it is a known fact that the food of 
blue-birds, white-bellied swallows, and the cliff swallows, 
consists entirely of caterpillars, worms, butterflies, moths, 
and small insects. Yet these are the first birds to be 
attacked and driven away from their nesting places by the 
English sparrow, as I stated once before in answer to a 
question of this kind in the Montreal Witness, a couple of 
years ago. The late Mr. F. B. Caulfield replied to this 
question, supporting these views. 
At one time dozens, and sometimes scores, of cliff swal- 
lows’ nests might be seen attached under the eaves of farm 
buildings, almost all joined together, as it were; yet these 
birds lived in perfect harmony with each other, sallying 
back and forth from their nests, gliding over the fields in 
search of food, catching butterflies, moths, and other 
insects; but since the English sparrow has made its 
appearance they have taken complete possession of their 
nests. Not content with one they enter into severe con- 
flicts with adjoining swallows, breaking down their nests, 
and finally driving away a whole colony of swallows; and 
the farmer sees to his sorrow, instead of a colony of swal- 
lows living happily together with their agreeable and 
melodious notes, the noisy, quarrelsome sparrows, with 
their ceaseless, discordant, unmusical notes, making thiev- 
ing excursions to his fields or barn to feast on his grain; but 
he never observes it attempt to make a repast on insects. 
There are many others of our native birds which are 
valuable insect-eaters that are being driven away by the 
English sparrow. 
