06 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



were neither fools nor knaves. This leads to a reexamination of the 

 facts on which he based his theories originally, and the result is that 

 his former conclusions are reversed. 



Unfortunately, the men whose experience thus qualifies them to speak 

 authoritatively on the subject are not often the men who can and will 

 publish widely their observations and conclusions. Nevertheless, such 

 experiences have become so frequent in all parts of the country during 

 the last few years that the weight of public opinion, especially among 

 agriculturists, is very decidedly against the Sparrow. Since 1880 this 

 change of sentiment has been marked. 



Effect of legislation.— Little or no protective legislation has been 

 enacted; many of the laws formerly protecting the Sparrow have been 

 repealed ; and in most cases such city regulations as have not been 

 modified have become practically dead-letters. 



Moreover, bounties have been offered by some towns and counties, 

 and by one State (Michigan), which now pays a bounty of 1 cent per 

 head on English Sparrows. 



The question of the expediency of bounties is discussed elsewhere, 

 and it is sufficient here to remark that as a rule they do not give 

 satisfactory results. 



The repeal of protective acts, however, certainly has done much to 

 check the increase of the Sparrow, since it allows persons so disposed 

 to wage open warfare on the bird. So long as it was protected by law 

 little effective action could be taken toward its destruction, though 

 much was done to prevent its increase. 



Shooting, poisoning, trapping, nest destroying. — The filthy habits of the 

 Sparrow about buildings everywhere, early led to the use of wire netting 

 or some other protective device about cornices, window casings, etc., 

 while all openings in which it could nest were carefully closed up. Later, 

 these points were kept in mind when planning new buildings, and no 

 available cavities were left. Many people removed the boxes originally 

 put up for the Sparrow as soon as they became familiar with its habits 

 and saw the danger to be expected from its increase. For the same 

 reason food which was lavishly furnished at first was afterward with- 

 held, and the birds were compelled to shift for themselves. Where 

 ornamental vines were disfigured by filth and nesting rubbish the nests 

 were sometimes torn down or the birds driven away by disturbing them 

 repeatedly at night, though there is no doubt that in many cases they 

 remained undisturbed in such places owing to the belief that any other 

 course would be at the risk of prosecution by the town or city authori- 

 ties. 



Such frequent interruption in its domestic affairs naturally did much 

 to prevent the most rapid increase of the Sparrow, but as such efforts 

 were mainly isolated, and affected only certain restricted localities, they 

 had little permanent effect. A Sparrow's preferences are one thing and 

 its necessities another, and when persecuted in one place it has always 



