The California Linnet 



Needless to say, the author yields deference to the economist; but 

 before sentence is pronounced upon even a portion, say a half or two- 

 thirds of these birds (and then only under the strictest local necessity), 

 he would respectfully urge one very important consideration peculiar to 

 California. We are menaced by the invasion of the English Sparrow. 

 Having conquered the East, this blatant foreigner is not only pressing 

 upon our borders, but he is penetrating along every line of least resistance 

 into our most intimate midst. Resistance on our part is almost hopeless. 

 We may shoot and trap and poison till doomsday, but by such methods 

 we shall only partially abate the nuisance. But, fortunately for us, we 

 have a powerful ally in the defense. It is the California Linnet. He is 

 already on the ground, and he is thoroughly entrenched. The sparrow's 

 place is preoccupied. It is only because the English Sparrow found an 



economic gap, an un- 

 filled place in the scheme 

 of things, that he spread 

 through the East like an 

 investing army. That 

 gap does not exist here. 

 The question with us is, 

 shall we have Linnets or 

 English Sparrows? For 

 in proportion as we sac- 

 rifice our Linnets, we 

 shall encourage the Spar- 

 rows. To my mind there 

 can be only one answer 

 to this question. Save in 

 the matter of the injury 

 done to fruit, the Linnet, 

 compared point by point 

 with the English Spar- 

 row, is far and away the 

 more desirable citizen. 

 Tuneful, where the for- 

 eigner is strident; mild- 

 mannered and sociable, 

 where the interloper is 

 clannish and brutal ; 

 happy and innocent, 



Taken in Ventura County Photo by the Author where the gamin is SUrly 



the cholla cactus is an accustomed couch" and spiteful. One has 



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