374 zooLof^r 



than the Enghsh sparrow, which is common in aU our large 

 cities and in many farming districts. The term " Enghsh " 

 sparrow is somewhat of a misnomer, for at the time it was 

 introduced into our country this bird ranged over all Europe, 

 where it is known as the house-sparrow. The historj' of the 

 spread of this bird shows us in a ^dvid way what are the suc- 

 cessful ciualities among birds. Originalh' this sparrow was 

 confined to middle Europe, and probably made its way into 

 Germany at the time of the Romans. It has since .swept all 

 over Europe, including the British Isles, and has penetrated 

 even into Siberia. It has crossed the [Mediterranean and is 

 found along the Senegal River, and, proljal)ly through human 

 agency, has penetrated to the Cape of Good Hope. It has 

 been transplanted voluntaril}' l.\v man to North America, Aus- 

 tralia, and Java. It seems to occupy among birds the jilace 

 taken among mammals by the rats. Crafty, pugnacious, 

 obtrusive, thieving, dirty, it has Iieconie a nuisance where\Tr 

 it has penetrated. But just these pushing equalities, com- 

 bined with small size, great hardiness, a universal diet, and 

 immense fecundity, have enabled it to make its way against 

 all competitors. Its introduction into America can only 

 be regarded as a deplorabile l:)lunder. 



Spread of English Sparrows in America. — The first imjior- 

 tations of the house-sparrow [Passer iloiiicsticus) to North 

 America were made at Brooklyn, New York, in 1850 and LS52. 

 The second importation survived and multii>li(\l. Subsequent 

 importations were made to INIaine, Rhode Island, and Pennsyl- 

 vania, so that by LS70 the sparrow was firmly estahlishetl in 

 the eastern United States. From this time on the sparrow 

 .spread at a rate unjiaralleled l)y any nati^-e l)ird. By bSS6 

 it had spread as far west as Kansas, and had established colo- 



