64 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



E. Odium, of Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, writes: 



They are a positive injury to gardens, both flower and vegetable. They eat almost 

 all kinds of seeds, even the common peas. They attack small shoots of many kinds 

 just coming'above the ground, taking nearly every fleshy or pulpy sprout. TVe have 

 been forced to cover parts of our garden against them. They almost destroyed our 

 entire plat of sweet x>eas. (August 25, 1886. Present about twelve years.) 



B. F. Maxon, of Westerly, E. I., writes : 



It eats pea and pepjper blossoms, young seed pods of turnips, cabbage, beet, and 

 lettuce, and yonug tender corn-silk. It also eats into the ends of the ears of green 

 corn, and eats young beet and lettuce plants. (March, 1887. Presentabout thirteen 

 years.) 



Dr. M. C. O'Toole, of Berkeley, Cal., writes : 



It has no taste for green vegetables, carrots, parsnips, etc., but will eat them when 

 more agreeable matter is not to be found. (February 17, 1887. Present about three 

 years.) 



Thos. Hardeman, of Macon, Ga., writes : 



It feeds upon sunflower seed and green herbs, and plucks to some extent the flowers 

 of the squash, cucumber, etc. (October 11, 1886. Present ten to fifteen years.) 



Dr. E. Sterling, of Cleveland, Ohio, writes : 



Last summer I was shown by a gardener a hundred tuberose plants, the buds on 

 every one of which had been eaten out by the Sparrow. (February 25, 1884.) 



GARDEN SEEDS. 



The injury to garden seeds is hardly so severe as might be expected in 

 view of the fact that the Sparrow is so destructive to green vegetables, 

 and that his natural food is seed. Nevertheless, a reference to the sum- 

 mary of evidence on this point shows that the injuries are far from in- 

 significant. 



Not infrequently the Sparrow scratches up seeds of various kinds, and 

 especially such as are sown broadcast and imperfectly covered. The 

 following examples serve to illustrate this point : 



From Aug. Barthel, Belleville, Saint Clair County, 111. : 



It destroys all seeds sown in the garden, and if pre vented from eating them, it eats 

 lettuce, spinach, etc. It also eats the vines of peas, etc. (September 2, 1886. Pres- 

 eut many years.) 



From H. Harris, Union Springs, Bullock County, Ala. : 

 It will scratch up seed when first planted ; it is as bad as if you were to turn into 

 a newly planted garden 50 chickens. What it does not eat when it is planted is fin- 

 ished after it goes to seed. (September 17 and 24, 1836. Present about six years.) 



From J. W. Johnson, Meriwether, Edgefield County, S. C. : 



It will scratch for garden seeds as soon as they are planted. (August 24, 1886. 

 Present five years.) 



From Edward T. Keim, Dubuque, Iowa: 



In one case grass seed was planted on a lawn, and troops of Sparrows devoured 

 every seed. (August 19, 1886. Present about ten years.) 



