78 THE ENGLISH SPAEROVV IN AMERICA. 



does not attack grain crops under any circumstances must be entirely 

 ruled out, or rather relegated to the category of purely negative evi- 

 dence, and labeled u claims not substantiated." There remain, of course, 

 some reports which are only mildly hostile to the Sparrow, or are even 

 favorable as far as they go, but these need no comment except, perhaps, 

 the statement that they are evidently honest opinions, and are entitled 

 to respect as such. We insert a few samples, which explain themselves. 

 From A. P. Farnsley, per J. B. Nail, editor Farmers' Home Journal, 

 Louisville, Ky.: 



The English Sparrow is the only bird I know to be injurious to grain crops ; but if 

 the amount he saves were weighed against that which he eats, the former would out- 

 weigh the latter many times. 



The trouble is, that the grain he eats and the amount he eats are seen by all, while 

 the amount he saves the farmer is not seen. The destruction of a few insects in the 

 wheat field during the fall or spring might increase the yield one or more bushels pei 

 acre, yet it could not be seen; but when the Sparrow takes the wheat from the bundle 

 that lies on top of the shock it is seen by all. (August 8, 1888.) 



From John Allan Terrell, Bloomfield, Nelson County, Ky. : 



It does not injure grain more than other birds. It flocks to wheat fields, but on ex- 

 amination I find the crop filled with grub-worms and grasshoppers. (October 6, 1886. 

 Present about seventeen years.) 



From Howard Kingsbury, Burlington, Iowa: 



All talks v/ith farmers in this section failed to draw out any complaint of injury to 

 grain crops. (December 28, 1838. Present sixteen or seventeen years.) 



From the Davenport (Iowa) Academy of Natural Science, per W. H. 

 Pratt, curator: 



While it eats a great deal of grain about the mills and warehouses, it does not as 

 yet go into the fields, and has probably injured no crops here. (April 20, 1837. Pres- 

 ent about seventeen years.) 



RELATION OF THE SPARROW TO OTHER BIRDS. 



This is one of the most important branches of the Sparrow investi- 

 gation, and it is believed that the evidence collected and published 

 herewith is ample for the final settlement of this much vexed ques- 

 tion. More than a thousand original contributions to our knowledge of 

 this subject have been received at the Department, and all the available 

 published testimony has also been consulted, and selections from this 

 have been printed. No pains have been spared in collecting evidence 

 on both sides of the question ; and when it became apparent that a 

 large part of the testimony which was coming in was against the 

 Sparrow, a special effort was made to induce friends of the bird to come 

 forward with facts or theories to offset this damaging evidence. As a 

 result, a mass of testimony has been brought together which it is believed 

 far exceeds in amount and value anything ever before collected, and it 

 is now submitted to the public with perfect confidence that no candid 



