FAR AND NEAR 



sat about upon the branches, regarding the proceed- 

 ing with evident interest, but showing no inclination 

 to interfere. " Let him work," they seemed to say; 

 " something interesting may come of it." For two 

 weeks or more Downy was busy carving out his 

 retreat. At last it was finished ; but when he re- 

 turned one night he found it occupied, and the occu- 

 pant refused to vacate it. This seemed to puzzle the 

 woodpecker a good deal. Every night he was barred 

 out of his own house. Then he took it into his head 

 to come home earlier in the day. This scheme 

 worked at first, but soon the sparrows clubbed to- 

 gether, assaulted his castle, and Uterally dragged 

 him out by sheer force. Then he gave up the fight, 

 and no doubt returned to the country a sadder and 

 a wiser bird. A new retreat had to be drilled out, 

 an undertaking which must have caused him no little 

 solicitude. It would be interesting to know where, 

 in the mean time, he passed the night. Probably in 

 some old retreat of his or his friends'. 



How to get rid of the English sparrows, or to keep 

 them in check, is a question that is agitating many 

 of our communities. A sporadic effort here and there 

 will not have much effect; there must be concerted 

 action over a wide area. The blow must be struck 

 in their breeding-haunts. In every town that has a 

 police force, let it be one of the duties of the police 

 to spy out their nesting-places and report to head- 

 quarters, as they would any other nuisance or misde- 

 162 



