100 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



away by the Sparrows. If there be but one or two trees in the heart of 

 a city, there is no need to depend upon birds, native or imported, to 

 keep them free from insects ; if there are many trees, then many native 

 birds will nest there if they are properly encouraged. I Had one-tenth 

 the care been devoted to native birds in Boston, Philadelphia, and Xew 

 York that was wasted on the imported Sparrows, it is not probable that 

 the span-worm would ever have stripped the trees in those cities, or that 

 the hairy larva of the tussock-moth, or the equally destructive web- 

 worm, would have followed when the span-worm was lessened in num- 

 bers. 



That the steady and alarming increase of these hairy worms is largely, 

 if not mainly, due to the presence of the Sparrow and the consequent 

 absence of better birds is not open to doubt. The testimony of Prof. 

 0. Y. Riley, Entom ologist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, of 

 Prof. J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist of iSTew York ; and of Dr. John 

 L. LeOonte, of Philadelphia, is conclusive on this point. A part of this 

 testimony is given a few pages further on, and the remainder will be 

 found in Professor Riley's report which follows. 



Before proceeding further with this discussion, it will be well, as 

 under previous sections of this Bulletin, to give a brief resume" of the 

 evidence collected, and on which the conclusions as regards the Spar- 

 row's relations to insects are based. 



This evidence may be roughly divided into two classes : 



I. Evidence derived mainly from study of the contents of Sparrows' 

 stomachs. 



II. Evidence derived mainly from observation of the bird, without 

 subsequent examination of the stomach. 



EVIDENCE DERIVED FEOM STUDY OF THE CONTENTS OF SPAEEOWS' STOMACHS. 



Under this head is included all available published data derived from 

 dissection in both Europe and America, and representing in all about 

 two thousand five hundred stomachs. 



Of this number, about eleven hundred are from European sources and 

 the remainder from the United States and Canada. With the excep- 

 tion of data relating to upward of five hundred stomachs examined at 

 the Department during the past year, very few of these records are as 

 complete as could be desired, and no attempt has been made to tabu- 

 late the results of all the dissections, but it may be stated that among 

 two thousand four hundred and fifty-five stomachs only three hundred 

 and forty-five, or about 14 per cent., showed any insect remains. In the 

 case of five hundred and twenty-two stomachs examined at the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture all necessary data were obtainable and the results 

 have been carefully tabulated. The insect remains contained in these 

 stomachs were critically examined under the direction of Prof. 0, V. 

 Biley, who has kindly prepared a report upon the subject, and has added 



