254 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



Camden. F. C. Groninger : In harvest I have seen large flocks in the grain fields, 

 on the shocks, and they destroyed a large quantity of the grain. (August 20, 1886. 

 Present about 5 years.) 



Farmland, N.W.Wright. Country: A flock of one hundred or more worked on 

 a patch of sweet corn last fall and damaged the ears considerably ; they also eat other 

 corn in the same manner. (March 7, 1887. Present two or three years.) 



GreencastJe. W. H. Ragan : Ifc injures wheat in shock and in held when left for 

 late harvest, but under our system of husbandry this damage can never amount to 

 anything serious. (September 28, 1886. Present about fourteen years.) 



La Fayette. F. M. Webster : It injures wheat and oats in the held ; and, I think r 

 corn also ; but possibly the injury to corn which I saw was due to blackbirds, which 

 peck the ears in early fall. (August 25, 1886.) 



Marhland. Julia B. Brown : It begins on wheat as soon as the grain is formed in 

 the head, and continues until it is housed or thrashed. (October 11, 1886. Present 

 about eight years.) 



New Albany. John B. Mitchell: In some wheat .fields near the city the outside 

 sheaves in the shock are denuded of grain. (October 6, 1886. Present about eleven 

 years. ) 



Patriot. J. T. Bodkin : It works on wheat, rye, and oats, and on corn while young 

 and tender. I have examined one or two dead ones and found their craws filled with 

 wheat and rye. (May 24, 1887. Present about three years.) 



Stony Point. Thomas H. Watlington : Last harvest I noticed small spots, some- 

 times three or four feet square, on which the grain was taken out of the wheat heads, 

 and on investigation I found that the Sparrow did it. (September 20, 1886. Present 

 about eleven years.) 



Iowa. — Grinnell. John Houghton: It has been known to (lock into wheat fields in 

 great numbers. (October 6, 1886. Present about two years.) 



Iowa City. C. C. Nutting: It is injurious to grain, eating habitually any of our 

 common cereals growing near town. (October 13, 1886. Present about five years.) 



Xewton. W. E. Dingman : On July 21, 1886, I saw a flock of Sparrows alight in 

 a wheat field, and found, on coming closer, that they were eating the grain. (Octo- 

 ber 15, 1886. Present two or three years.) 



Kansas. — Manhattan. Prof. J). E. Lantz : It feeds upon wheat and oats. The 

 damage observed here has been inconsiderable, but this is due to the fact that the 

 birds have not been with us long enough to become very numerous. (Autumn, 

 1885. Present about five years. ) 



Kentucky. — Caskey. Frank B. Hancock : It destroys a great deal of wleat, rye, and 

 oats in shock. After wheat harvest I saw a flock of about 50 on and among the 

 wheat and oat shocks, and they ate a great deal of grain. It is only a. question of 

 time in regard to their being very injurious to grain fields. (August 19, 1886. Pres- 

 ent less than a year.) 



Crescent Hill (suburbs of Louisville). Thomas S. Kennedy It visits wheat field 8 

 in large flocks and feeds on wheat and other grain in the shock, showing what it will 

 do when it becomes more numerous. (October 5, 1886. Present five or six years.) 



Lexington. Dr. Robert Peter: Professor Scovell states that it feloniously spoiled 

 his experiments in wheat culture at the State Agricultural station by stealing the 

 grain from the ear. (November 11, 1886. Present fifteen to eighteen years.) 



Madisonville. J. F. Dempsey : It depredates on wheat fields in immense flocks. 

 (September 3, 1886. Present about six years.) 



Niclwlasville. Postmaster : I have heard of oat and wheat crops being attacked 

 by thousands of these birds and to some extent injured. (October 4, 1886. Present 

 about eight years.) 



Yanceburgh. J. Sparks: It congregates in grain fields and devours vast quanti- 

 ties of the grain. (October 20, 1686. Present about seven years. ) 

 Louisiana. — Barataria (country). William B. Berthoud. It injures grain crops 



