62 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



plaints of injury to peas have coine from every part of the world 

 where the Sparrow has been introduced, as well as from those countries 

 of which it is a native. The fact that no other bird is known to pull 

 up young peas would prevent any possibility of mistake as to the au- 

 thor of the damage, even if the real culprit had not been caught in the 

 act so frequently. Some few other birds do take green peas from the 

 pod, but in most cases these birds are very scarce wherever Sparrows 

 are abundant. 



Destruction of garden com. — Turning now to the subject of the de- 

 struction of corn (maize), we find that the evidence is equally strong, and 

 almost as abundant. It is true that the Sparrow does not so frequently 

 pull up the young plant, but the injury to the grain when "in the milk" 

 fully makes up for all previous neglect. 



TV. G. Clapp, of Dorchester, Suffolk County, Mass., writes : 



Ho is caught pulling the sprouting sweet corn, flocks of tliem alighting in the 

 patch and taking almost every kernel, or the tender shoot. 



Henry Stewart, of Hackensack, X. J., writes: 



It attacks sweet and field corn, tearing open the husk. (February 5, 1884. Pres- 

 ent about fourteen years. 



John H. Sage, of Portland, Middlesex County, Conn., writes: 



It is quite destructive to sweet corn in the garden, stripping the husks and eating 

 the kernels. (August 16, 1S86. Present about seventeen years.) 



Dr. A. P. Sharp, of Baltimore, Md., says : 



During the corn season they are very destructive to the silk and top grains, often 

 ruining the whole ear. (February 16, 18S7.) 



R. H. George, of Simpsonville, Shelby County, Ky., says: 



It will often tear the shucks from the ends of the ears of garden corn, and cat sev- 

 eral inches of green corn or matured grain. (October 15, 1886. Present about seven 

 years.) 



G-. TV. Daugherty, of Carmichaels, Greene County, Pa., says : 



As regards garden fruits and vegetables, our gardeners report them an intolerable 

 nuisance. They are especially destructive to early sweet-corn, tearing it open on the 

 stalk and eating the end, making it unfit for market and causing it to mold. (Feb- 

 ruary 21, 1837. Present six or seven years.) 



William Holmead, of Mount Pleasant, D. C, (suburb of Washington) 



says: 



Sugar and field corn when green are very much damaged by them. They tear the 

 ends of the ear3 and eat the corn iu the same manner as crows. (November 8, 1586, 

 Present about fourteen years.) 



The postmaster at Blaine, Pottawatomie County, Kans., says : 



Sweet-corn has been injured very much ; it has been picked off while in the milk, 

 and the husk pulled off as if done by hand. (October 6, 1886. Present seven or eight 

 years.) 



More than a dozen similar reports have been received in regard to 

 garden corn, and three times that number in regard to field corn. 



These latter reports will be found under the head of " injury to grain 

 crops." 



