76 OUR NATIVE BIRDS 
in any way interfered either with the pleasure of the 
public or the breeding and pleasure of our native birds, 
which have increased: greatly in numbers with the 
growth of our trees and parks. We were set down in 
the midst of the ‘great desert’ thirty-two years ago, 
with nothing larger than plain’s grass to cast a shadow 
in our neighborhood. Our city now, thanks to the 
energy of her people, is an oasis, through arboriculture, 
and the birds of the plains and lower mountains have 
come to dwell with us. It was in their interest, in 
great measure, that I began the destruction of the 
house sparrow. I think the close of my winter’s work 
has never left more than thirty or forty birds uncap- 
tured, unless more than that number escaped last 
spring. My work this winter, 1898-99, has been much 
more successful than usual, for after a thorough search 
a short time ago, I was able to find only one live sparrow 
in the city. There may be more, but there are cer- 
tainly not many. 
“Without going into the failures I have met with, 
I am satisfied that in this region poisoned whole wheat 
is the most effective engine of war. 
“JT take two small bottles of strychnine, one dram 
each, and mix the contents with about three quarts of 
water, boiling until the poison is thoroughly dissolved, 
using boiling water to begin with. Into the hot 
poisoned water I stir nearly if not quite, a peck of 
wheat, and then set the mixture aside for forty-eight 
hours. The grain absorbs all the water and swells 
greatly. I then spread the grain over the bottom of 
