2S0 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



bird, mockingbird, tomtit, flycatcher, thrush, bobolink, and wren have kept injuri- 

 ous insects down to the minimum, but now you seldom see one of these birds. Here- 

 tofore I have fed my native birds in the winter time on elevated, covered platforms 

 with grass seed, millet, sunflower seed, etc., and have frequently had over two hun- 

 dred of different kinds, but now a dozen or two are about all I can muster. (August 

 30,1887.) 



Charleston. Theo. D. Jervy: It has driven away from my garden the redbird 

 (Cardinalis cardinalis) and the mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura). (March 15, 

 1886.) 



Charleston. Dr. G. E. Manigault : It molests and drives away the orchard oriole 

 {Icterus spurius), painted finch (Passerina ciris), and Carolina wren. (August 24, 1884.) 



Tennessee. — Lawrenceburgh. W. T. Nixon: It seems to live in harmony with all 

 our native birds except the bluebird, and only a chance rencontre is had with that, 

 and this at nesting time. The bluebird is always victorious, never failing to secure 

 the old nesting place. With this exception I have never seen the English Sparrow 

 in contest with any of our native birds, although they are almost constantly in close 

 proximity. (February 21, 1887. Present about two years.) 



Paris. Dr. John T. Irion: Birds of value are decreasing as the Sparrow increases. 

 The mockingbird a few years ago was increasing rapidly, but now it is seldom seen. 

 (November 11, 1886. Present three years or more.) 



Vermont. — Burlington. Charles A. Davis: It drives off the robin. In the Burling- 

 ton railroad station, where robins used to be plenty, there are now as many as fifty 

 Sparrows' nests, and not one robin to be found. (1885.) 



Hartford (country). Allen Hazen : I saw it drive away the tree sparrow (Spizella 

 monticola) on January 21, 1885, and after that. (August 28, 1886.) 



Saint Jolmsoury. Rev. Henry Fairbanks: The song sparrow and the savanna 

 sparrow, which until five years ago were exceedingly abundant here, have greatly 

 diminished since the English Sparrow came. The latter are not good neighbors to 

 the robins, thrushes, and vireos, and with fewer robins and thrushes the white grub 

 and cutworm increase. (1885.) 



West Paivlet. Dr. Frank H. Braymer : It molests the chipping sparrow, robin, 

 martin, brown thrush, goldfinch, yellow warbler, etc. (February 15, 1884.) 



I have also known it to drive off the bluebird, song sparrow, purple finch (Carpo- 

 dacus purpureas), and greenlets (Vireo). * * * It drives away the cedar bird (im- 

 pelis cedrorum), house wren, and catbird. (August 31, 1886. Present eleven or twelve 

 years.) 



Virginia. — New Market. George M. Neese: The Sparrow has a bad name here, 

 worse than it deserves. I do not think it has driven off a single native bird, although 

 it fights the bluebird and the wren, but only for its own home. It is true it generally 

 appropriates all the boxes and nesting places in the spring for its own use before the 

 other birds arrive. Then, when the other birds (the bluebird and the wren) begin to 

 look about for nesting places the fighting commences, and the Sparrow is always the 

 victor. But bluebirds aud wrens are quite as plentiful here as they were twenty years 

 ago. The purple martins are not so abundant here as formerly; in fact, I have not 

 seen one this year. Some attribute their disappearance to the Sparrow, but an old 

 farmer told me that the martin was getting more and more scarce every year before 

 the Sparrow came here. (December 30. 1885.) 



There have been no purple martins here for the last few years, but I do not know 

 whether or not it is the Sparrow's fault. The Sparrows commence their breeding 

 season before the wren returns from the south, and appropriate every available nest- 

 ing place. When the wren comes it generally fights a few days for its old home, 

 gets whipped in consequence of numbers, and seeks a place the entrance of which is 

 too small for the Sparrow. Last winter I closed a box in which a pair of wrens had 

 nested last year, and in the spring when the wrens came I opened it. The Sparrow 

 took possession of it immediately. The wrens fought nobly, but the Sparrows were 



