INJURY TO GRAMS. 51 



tions are almost identical ; and it seems probable that, as many persons 

 believe, if the Sparrows are shot at or thoroughly frightened on their first 

 visit to a vineyard, orchard, or garden, they are much less likely to be 

 troublesome afterwards. The habit of feeding there once formed, it is 

 very difficult to prevent continual annoyance and loss. 



One thing has been noticed repeatedly with regard to the depreda- 

 tions of the Sparrow, namely the abrupt and often unaccountable manner 

 in which it appears at or disappears from a place, or changes its atten- 

 tion from one crop to another. A place entirely free from Sparrows 

 this year may be overrun with them next year; and a crop which has 

 remained unmolested in past years may be attacked and seriously dam- 

 aged without any preliminary sampling or warning. Thus, Mr. Thomas 

 MikeselJ, of Wauseon, Fulton County, Ohio, wrote under date of April 

 24, 1SSG : 



I liave not known it to injure grapes or other fruit, and hear no complaints from 

 any one. 



But within six months Mr. Mikesell wrote again, saying: 



It destroys large quantities of grapes by picking holes in the berries and sucking 

 the juice. I have seen them at it. (November 15, 1886.) 



At Bernaclotte, Fulton County, 111., the Sparrow has only been es- 

 tablished for two or three years, yet during the past season it has been 

 very destructive to grapes in that vicinity. " 



Dr. W. S. Strode, of Bernadotte, after stating (September 7, 1887) that 

 he has recently found large quantities of grape pulp in the stomachs of 

 Sparrows which he examined, says : 



The variety of grape mostly destroyed is the Concord, as no other to any extent is 

 cultivated here. My observations have, for the most part, been in and around the 

 villages of Bernadotte and Smithfield, country towns with a population of about 225 

 each— no city nearer than Galesburgh, 40 miles distant; Peoria, 50 miles. 



Bernadotte is on Spoon River, 20 miles from its mouth at Havana, surrounded by 

 hill and valley farms. Smithfield is 6 miles north, and in the vineyards within a 

 mile of these villages the greater part of the damage has been done to the grape 

 crop ; one citizen of Smithfield estimating that in his vineyard of 2 acres one- 

 balf of all the grapes were devoured by the vagrants * * * By personal in- 

 spection of the vineyard of 600 vines belonging to Mr. Willard F. Smith, one and a 

 half miles south of Bernadotte, I estimated that one-third of all the grapes on the 

 bunches had been sucked out or pulled off. Estimating the crop at 10 pounds to the 

 vine and at 3 cents per pound, the loss can be easily estimated. 



It must not be forgotten that the Sparrow is a typical seed-eater and 

 depends on seeds for its main support. It unquestionably could live 

 indefinitely on seed alone, and it is possible that it could not exist 

 for any considerable time on fruit alone. The abundance of a favorite 

 food, such as grain, might often prevent serious damage to fruit. But 

 Sparrows, like most other birds, prefer and need variety in diet, and 

 even amid an abundance of grain food they undoubtedly relish an oc- 

 casional taste of fruit. Thus, where they become very numerous and 

 the supply of fruit is not large even this occasional taste becomes a 

 serious thing for the gardener, while, on the other hand, sections in 



