166 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



every possible means should be tried to reduce the numbers iu the ad- 

 joining towns and villages. 



SPARROW CLUBS AND SHOOTING MATCHES. 



In man} 7 parts of Europe, where s, constant warfare is waged against 

 this bird, clubs are formed for the purpose of killing Sparrows. In 

 some cases each member of such a club is bound to present to the secre- 

 tary the heads of a certain number of Sparrows each year or to pay a 

 line, and the fines thus collected (sometimes augmented by voluntary 

 contributions) are used as bounties or prizes for the members killing 

 the most Sparrows. The following item, clipped from a recent paper, 

 shows the interest now taken in Sparrows by the people of Stratford- 

 upon-Avon, an English town of less than 8,000 inhabitants: 



The honorary secretary of the Stratford-upon-Avon Sparrow Club, reports that during 

 the past year [1837] over 19,000 birds have been killed. The club pays 3d. per dozen 

 for heads of all Sparrows destroyed, and over £23 has been paid in this way during 

 the year. The common Sparrow is held to be destructive to farmers' crops, and the 

 club was formed for the purpose jaf keeping down the number of these birds. About 

 20,000 a year is the average number destroyed in the neighborhood of Stratford-upon- 

 Avon. 



Similar clubs have been formed in some parts of the United States, 

 and if every agricultural or horticultural society, or farmer's club, would 

 adopt some such plan of concerted action against the Sparrow a vast 

 amount of good might be accomplished. Even without any cash prizes 

 such clubs would accomplish something, while an occasional revival of the 

 old time shooting match, in which the day's hunt should be devoted ex- 

 clusively to Sparro ws, would yield a large amount of sport and materi- 

 ally lessen the Sparrows in the district. Iu one such hunt in Wads- 

 worth, Ohio, recently, twenty six men took part, and 980 Sparrows were 

 lulled. 



THE SPARROW AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD. 



In this connection it should not be forgotton that the English Spar- 

 row is an excellent article of food, equaling many of the smaller game 

 birds. In fact, at restaurants it is commonly sold under the name of 

 u Bice-bird," even at times of the year when there are no Rice-birds in 

 the country. 



When the Sparrow has been feeding on grain fields or in the wild rice 

 marshes its flesh is especially good, and if caught alive in the city the 

 quality of the flesh can be much improved by feeding it for a few days 

 with oatmeal, corn meal, or wheat. 



(See also in this connection pages 38 and 39.) 



