EARLY HISTOBY AT SAINT LOUIS. lijl 



rule to be satisfied with one, if no others are in sight, for after the old 

 adage u a bird in the hand," etc., a Sparrow in the nets is worth seven- 

 teen on the fence. 



As to the when and where to go, while there are some given rules for 

 this, still the birds are so quick to take alarm, and so communicative, 

 that it is not possible at times to account for their movements. Their 

 vast numbers and nomadic habits, however, will offset this, and by a 

 little study of the habits of the bird, and by a few practical lessons in 

 the shape of successes and failures, it will not be difficult to determine 

 where a good catch can be made. 



SECTION SIXTH, 



EISTOEY OP TEE EOUSE SPAEEOW, PASSES DOMESTICUS, AND TEE 



EUROPEAN TEEE SPAEEOW, PASSEE MONTANUS, 



AT SAINT LOUIS, MO. 



By Otto Wldmaxx. 



The first European House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) were intro- 

 duced at Saint Louis in 18G9, when Mr. Cairns received a few pairs 

 from ISTew York City. They were liberated in the heart of the city, 

 but were immediately lost out of sight. The following year the same 

 party repeated the experiment with the same result, that is, the birds 

 did not remain in the immediate neighborhood, but left for parts un- 

 known at the time. 



Early in 1870 a Saint Louis bird dealer imported, among other birds, 

 twenty Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) direct from Germany. Mr. 

 Kleinschmidt, hearing of it, persuaded Mr. Daeuzer, of the Anzeiger des 

 WestenSj who was at that time experimenting with the introduction of 

 European singing birds, to contribute to the rmrchase of these birds. 

 Accordingly they were bought and taken to Lafayette Park, in the then 

 southwestern part of the city, and liberated April 25, 1870. All left 

 the park immediately, and none were seen again until April 21 of the 

 following year, when a single bird was seen one mile east of the park. 

 This discovery was considered worthy of mention in the public press, 

 since at that time the introduction of the European Sparrow at Saint 

 Louis was thought to be a failure. That this was an error became ap- 

 parent during the ensuing summer, when these discoveries were re- 

 ported so often, and from parts of the city so widely separated, that 

 success could no longer be doubted. 



During the next few years bird dealers had pairs of House Sparrows 

 sent from New York, and well-meaning citizens bought them for libera- 

 tion, but the exact number can not be learned, since the principal par- 

 ties have died. Both species increased amazingly, and as early as 1875 



