LINTNER ON CATERPILLAR PROTECTION. 107 



RELATION OF THE SPARROW TO CATERPILLARS. 



Professor Kiley, in bis report, has called attention to several points of 

 interest in these contributions, and has also given an interesting letter 

 of his, written to Dr. Coues in 1878, relating to the agency of the En- 

 glish Sparrow in increasing rather than diminishing the numbers of hairy 

 caterpillars, especially of Orgyia and Ryphantria, in the city of Wash- 

 ington. 



In the annual report of the Department of Agriculture for 1886, we 

 published similar conclusions as regards Orgyia, derived from the inde- 

 pendent observations of Prof. J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist of New 

 York. We again publish these extracts from Professor Lintner's report, 

 as they are of great interest and importance, especially as they mention 

 some of the native birds which undoubtedly held the Orgyia in check 

 before the advent of the English Sparrow. 



Relation to the caterpillar of the Tussoclc Moth. — Professor Lintner says: 

 "The extraordinary increase of the Orgyia leucostigma is owing to the 

 introduction and multiplication of the English Sparrow. 



"This may seem a strange statement, in consideration of the fact that 

 the Sparrow was imported from Europe for the express purpose of abat- 

 ing the l caterpillar nuisance 7 in New York and some of the New Eng- 

 land cities. . . . The increase of the Orgyia leucostigma commenced 

 and has continued to progress with that of the Sparrow. 



"A remark made to me that the caterpillars had been observed to be 

 very numerous in localities where the Sparrows also abounded induced 

 me to undertake to verify or disprove the idea that had suggested itself 

 to me, that the Sparrow afforded actual protection to the caterpillars 

 and promoted their increase. 



" In a locality in the city of Albany, N. Y. (intersection of Broadway 

 and Spencer street), which I had traversed daily during the preceding 

 year, I had been interested in watching the habits of a large company 

 of Sparrows which had established themselves in quarters evidently in 

 every way suited to their tastes and wants among the vines and leaves 

 of a large woodbine (Ampelopsis quinquefolia), which covered with a 

 dense matting nearly the entire side of a large dwelling. Here I had 

 observed a greater number of the Sparrows than elsewhere in the city. 

 They were still local and far from being generally distributed. 



" Upon visiting this locality for the purpose above mentioned, I found 

 upon the other side of the building, and on an adjoining one, three other 

 large woodbines not before noticed by me, making five in all. On a tall 

 pole standing between the two buildings a very large Sparrow house 

 with many compartments had been erected, and many smaller ones had 

 been placed among the branches of the trees. The woodbines seemed 

 alive with the Sparrows. Hundreds were issuing from them and drop- 

 ping down to their favorite stercoraceous repasts in the streets, and the 

 air was vocal with their chattering. It was a rare bird exhibition. 



