EVIDENCE.— DELATION TO INSECTS. 283 



Strathroy. L. H. Smith : I do not believe he is guilty of driviug away our native 

 birds as badly as represented. I have watched him for twelve years, and but one 

 case of iigkriug with our native birds has come under my notice. Ou my place of 12 

 acres I had two or three pairs of cat-birds, oue or two pairs of Virginia yeliowbirds, 

 one pair of phcebes, several song and chipping sparrows, orioles, house-wrens, etc. 

 Some seasons I would miss a pair, and at another season perhaps one kind would not 

 be represented at all. For instance, after the phoebes' building under my veranda 

 two years and under my cornice one, I missed them. I found how much bird life 

 varied, what a great percentage of nests were destroyed by their natural enemies. 

 As well as I could care for them, and as suitable a place as I had — acres of trees and 

 shrubbery — I don't think on an average more than one pair of birds in five succeeded 

 in raising a brood each season. Birds for some reason move, sometimes temporarily 

 and sometimes permanently, from localities, and it is possible in some places they are 

 fought with and driven away by the English Sparrows, but such an instance never 

 came under my notice. The whippoorwill, the nightbawk, and the passenger pigeon, 

 have almost left this part of the country. Surely the Sparrow did not drive them 

 away. (October 11, 1886. Present about twelve years.) 



Toronto. Dr. William Brodie: It is generally admitted that it has driven away 

 from cities, towns, and country villages a few native species, such as the chipping 

 sparrow (Spizella socialis), bluebird (Sialia skills), house- wren (Troglodytes aedon), 

 yellow warbler (Dendroica astiva), cliff-swallow (FetrocheUdon lunifrons), tree-swallow 

 (Tachycineta bicolor), and a few others, species which Avere taking perhaps rather 

 sparingly to our bustling centers. (January, 1888.) 



Quebec. — Montreal. Ernest D. Wintle : Last spring I observed a pair of summer 

 warblers (Dendroica (estiva) build a nest in a tree, when the Sparrows drove them 

 away and built a nest for themselves right on top of the warbler's, so that you could 

 not see any part of the latter's nest. (September 20, 1886. Present sixteen years or 

 more.) 



New Brunswick.— Portland (suburb of St. John). J. W. Banks : A friend of mine 

 showed me a myrtle warbler which he saw killed by the Sparrow. (October 10, 1886. 

 Present two or three years.) 



Nova Scotia. — Two Rivers. B. B. Barnhill : I have seen it fight with the barn swal- 

 low and attack crows. (August 20, 1886.) 



ENGLAND. — It always raised my ire as a boy to see them steal the nests of the eave 

 or window martin. I have many times perforated the piping over such nests with 

 shot to kill the rogues. I have but little acquaintance with them in America. (David 

 H. Henmau, Willows, Dak., December 12, 1886.) 



BERMUDA. — I am informed by a relative who spent last winter in Bermuda that 

 nearly all the beautiful birds of that island have been expelled by Sparrow usurpers, 

 which are innumerable, and devour fruit and grain, and foul porches, walks, roofs, and 

 windows. Negro children are there constantly employed to kill them. My informant 

 is observant and merciful, but says that once naturalized in a foreign country the 

 Sparrow becomes vicious. (W. N. Ponton, M. A., Belleville, Canada, September 27, 

 1884.) 



RELATION TO INSECTS. 



The testimony on this subject came from five hundred and ninety- 

 one observers, of which number one hundred and thirty six sent replies 

 of such a nature as to allow of complete summarization, and in two 

 hundred and seven other cases a part of eacli report may be so treated. 

 The following lists show the character of the evidence which can be 

 thus condensed. 



