18 MANUAL OF GARDENING 
A person has no more right to inflict a cat on a neighborhood than 
to inflict a goat or rabbits or any other nuisance. All persons 
who keep cats should feel the same responsibility for them that 
they feel for other property; and they should be willing to for- 
feit their property right when they forfeit their control. The 
cats not only destroy birds, but they break the peace. The 
caterwauling at night will not be permitted in well-governed 
communities any more than the shooting of fire-arms or vicious 
talking will be allowed: all night-roaming cats should be gath- 
ered in, just as stray dogs and tramps are provided for. 
I do not dislike cats, but I desire to see them kept at home and 
within control. If persons say that they cannot keep them on 
their own premises, then these persons should not be allowed to 
havethem. A bellon the cat will prevent it from capturing old 
birds, and this may answer a good purpose late in the season; 
but it will not stop the robbing of nests or the taking of young 
birds, and here is where the greatest havoc is wrought. 
It is often asserted that cats must roam in order that rats 
and mice may be reduced ; but probably few house mice and 
few rats are got by wandering cats; and, again, many cats are 
not mousers. There are other ways of controlling rats and 
mice; or if cats are employed for this purpose, see that they 
are restricted to the places where the house rats and mice are 
to be found. 
Many persons like squirrels about the place, but they cannot 
expect to have both birds and squirrels unless very special pre- 
cautions are taken. 
The English or house sparrow drives away the native birds, 
although he is himself an attractive inhabitant in winter, 
particularly where native birds are not resident. If one de- 
sires to keep English sparrows in reduced numbers, it can be 
easily accomplished by poisoning them in winter (when other 
birds are not endangered) with wheat soaked in strychnine 
water. The contents of one of the eighth-ounce vials of strych- 
