BRITISH FARMERS ASTONISHED. 39 



in and about a few cities. The following examples of testimony illus- 

 trate this point. 



From J. Percy Moore, Philadelphia, Pa.: 



Immense numbers are killed in the autumn, when feeding on the seeds of reeds in 

 the marshes, and prepared and sold as reed-birds by the restaurants. (September 27, 

 1886.) 



In Albany, IS". Y., Sparrows were regularly quoted in the market re- 

 ports during the fall of 1SS7, bringing $1 per hundred, or 25 cents per 

 dozen. 



The following extracts from the Albany Express show that the birds 

 are appreciated there: 



Sparrows are still a feature of the market, and one Albany lad, Charles Lambert 

 by name, shot one hundred and thirty-five of the little pests Saturday, out of a single 

 flock of about five hundred, on the outskirts of the city. A well-known game aud 

 poultry dealer took in one thousand seven hundred of them last week aud sold about 

 all. Yesterday the same man disposed of two hundred. (November 7, 1S87.) 



The Albany youth are still waging war on the Sparrows, and they are all gradually 

 beiug driven from the city. One game and poultry dealer in town has thus far bought 

 and then sold to others about three thousand eight hundred of the little pests. They 

 make excellent pot-pie and are regarded as excellent eating by those who have made 

 the trial. The flavor is said to be somewhat like that of reed-birds and much superior 

 to quail. (November 18; 1887.) 



It will appear from the foregoing statements, and still more forcibly 

 from an examination of the testimony on which they are based, that 

 although man originally did much to aid in the increase and spread of 

 the Sparrow, he hac done comparatively little as yet to restrain this 

 increase and lessen or prevent the evil which his ignorance and thought- 

 lessness have caused. 



How the farmers of Great Britain regard the Sparrow. — The very fact 

 that in Europe the good aud bad characteristics of the Sparrow had 

 been discussed for centuries without any absolute settlement of the 

 question should have made us cautious iu introducing it to America; 

 aud when, later, the calamitous results of its introduction to Australia 

 aud Eew Zealand became evident, steps should have been taken at 

 once to prevent its farther spread in this country. The following state- 

 ment of Mr. Jabez Webster, a practical nurseryman and fruit-grower, 

 serves to show how much trouble might have been prevented by a little 

 intelligent inquiry among the farmers of the Sparrow's native land, be- 

 fore bringing the bird to our shores. 



Mr. Webster writes: 



After twenty-two years' residence in the United States I visited England, Scotland, 

 and Wales, traveling and observing iu most of the counties of England and sister 

 countries. I found that intelligent agriculturists and horticulturists everywhere I 

 went were astonished that the American people should have introduced so destructive 

 and worthless a bird into their country. One gentleman in the county of Norfolk 

 said that in that county they had been spending money to destroy Sparrows for fifty 

 years, and still had to spend money. I found the same opinion pre vailed among well- 

 informed persons in country and town in Bedfordshire, Huntington, Stafford, War- 



