262 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



Arkansas.— Hot Springs, Postmaster : The Sparrows right everything, but mar- 

 tins are the principal sufferers. (Sepiember 17, 1886. Present about ten years.) 



California. — Berkeley (suburbs). Dr. M. C. O'Toole: The Sparrow, living almost 

 exclusively around dwellings, comes in contact with few birds except the house 

 •swallow. In 1884 they took the nests of swallows under the eaves of my house, and 

 the swallows left. I destroyed the nests, and although the Sparrows visit the place 

 daily, they have built no nests since. (February 17, 1887. Present about three years ) 



Berkeley. T. S. Palmer: I have known the English Sparrow to take possession of 

 the nesting site occupied by house fiuches (Carpodacus frontalis) for several years, 

 and, after adding to the old nest, use it for the reception of its own eggs. I have not 

 observed that it drives out the house finches by force. Probably the Sparrow is not 

 abundant enough as yet to do any considerable damage. (December 31, 1887.) 



Haywards. Dr. J. G. Cooper: The cliff swallow and bluebird are the only species 

 Avhich appear to resist the Sparrow, bnt they are unable to hold possession. (August 

 25, 1883. Present six or seven years.) 



Oakland. Walter E. Bryant: I have noticed that swallows (noticeably one pair of 

 white-bellied, and several pairs of eave swallows) discontinued building on houses 

 where the Sparrow nested, although before the advent of the Sparrow they had used 

 them for several years. (August 28, 1886. Present five or six years.) 



Oakland and San Francisco. E. F. Lorquin : It is driving away most of the indi- 

 genous birds in the cities. Some, like the cliff swallows, try to resist, but are gen- 

 erally unsuccessful, as the Sparrows combine and attack them in force. (August, 

 1887.) 



San Francisco. F. Giuber: It molests, and to some extent drives away, native 

 birds, such as blackbirds, house finches, snowbirds, warblers, and some species of 

 sparrows. (March 5, 1884.) 



San Francisco. A. H. Webb : Native birds have simply given place to the Spar- 

 row. (September 13, 1886. Present about fifteen years.) 



Connecticut.— East Hartford. Willard E. Treat: It does not, to my knowledge, 

 molest other birds in this locality. I once saw one fighting with the chipping spar- 

 row, but the latter came off victorious. (November, 1885.) 



Purple martins and robins resist the Sparrow, but generally with little success, as 

 the Sparrow attacks them with superior numbers. I have known of its taking pos- 

 session of martin boxes in early spring, before the martins arrived, but upon their 

 coming the martins in two or three cases regained their nests by force. In addition 

 to the birds already mentioned, bluebirds and barn swallows are attacked. (Octo- 

 ber 23, 1886. Present about nine years.) 



Enfield. Newell A. Parsons : I have several martin-houses around my place, and 

 in the spring the Sparrows and martins have great battles for possession of the 

 houses. I frequently shoot several Sparrows, as I do not allow my martins to be mo- 

 lested by them. (1885.) 



Gaylordsville (country). E. H. Austin : The bluebird is driven away, but the wren 

 has always been successful. If Sparrows were numerous, however, I think the re- 

 sult might be doubtful. (August 19, 1886.) 



Meriden. H. C. Hull : I have made boxes for both wren and bluebird, and the 

 Sparrow took possession of both. (August 31, 1886. Present sixteen years.) 



Middle Haddam (country). Henry L. Stewart: In the spring of 1885 the Sparrows 

 had taken possession of the bluebird box in a pear tree, and there was fighting for 

 three or four days, but the Sparrows conquered. Again, in 1886, the bluebirds were 

 forced to leave another box. (September 2, 1886. Present eight years.) 



Middletown. Walter B. Barrows : In May, 1886, a robin began a nesfc in a pear 

 tree in my yard, only 30 or 40 feet from the house. The Sparrows at once attacked 

 her, not in large numbers, but a few at a time and repeatedly, and although she per- 

 sisted for several clays, and nearly completed the nest, she was finally compelled to 

 give up the fight and look elsewhere for a nesting site. In this case the Sparrows 



