294 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



spot on the grass and go through what appears to he a war dance. A Sparrow will 

 dart up about four feet, remain fluttering there au instant, and settle again so quickly 

 that there are always two or three birds in the air. I found out later that they 

 were catching small insects something like winged ants. (September 4, 1886. Pres- 

 ent thirty years or more.) 



[The winged insects referred to were doubtless the so called white ants or Termites]. 



Brooklyn. J. A. Perry : The army-worm, which has proved to be so destructive to 

 the grass and grain crops in various parts of the country, suddenly appeared a few 

 days since near the southern boundary of the Greenwood cemetery, a road called 

 Martense's Lane only intervening. 



Dreading the ravages which they would commit if they got into Greenwood, 

 orders were given that, in the event of their attempting to cross the road, the entire 

 Inhering force of the cemetery should be called out to resist them. Their move- 

 ments were closely watched, and the mode of attack devised. Spades and shovels 

 were ordered to be used and the great-steam roller of 12 tons weight was to be held 

 in readiness to crush them. 



But an army diminutive iu individual power, but mighty in numerical force, soon 

 appeared as volunteers in the field, an renddered all other precautions unnecessary. 

 The English Sparrow, which had been encouraged to make its home in Greenwood 

 some years since, in order to prevent the ravages of the inch-worm, which then 

 infested the cities of New York and Brooklyn and which it was feared might reach 

 Greenwood, soon discovered these army-worms, and collecting in some mysterious 

 way from all parts of the cemetery, iu a flock numbering several thousands, sped 

 their way to the field, swept around its outskirts apparently to observe the extent of 

 the work before them, landed in the middle of it, and spreading themselves on the 

 right and on the left, proceeded to devour voraciously all the worms which they met. 

 The field being large, some 8 or 10 acres in extent, the attacking hosts were busily 

 occupied nearly three days, but they did not leave except at night, until their work 

 was ended in the complel"e extermination of the dreaded foe. * * * It is due to 

 this poor defamed bird, in the opinion of the writer, that these facts should be made 

 known, that the opprobium which rests upon it should be removed, and at the same 

 time credit should be given to it for preventing, in one instance at least, the ravages 

 of the much-dreaded army-worm. (For the Journal of Commerce.) (January 24, 1880. ) 



Brooklyn. Hon. Nicolas Pike: Iu a very short time [after their introduction in 

 1852] these voracious little birds completely eradicated the "hanging-worm" or 

 measuring worm, Ennomos (Eugonia) subsignaria, which was threatening our fairest 

 shade trees, and making the sidewalks almost impassable. Now it is difficult to find 

 one in the city. They have also materially lessened the numbers of one of the clear- 

 winged flies so destructive to the grape-vine. 



The adult Sparrow eats all the arachnoidea, millers, and other small moths and 

 their larvae, the soft larvae of almost all insects, and small worms. I have never seen 

 it take either the moth or larva of Orgyia, nor have 1 ever found it in the stomach. 

 It does eat ichneumon flies. The food depends almost entirely on season and temper- 

 ature. In winter it is found in street droppings, crumbs, or anything obtainable. In 

 summer it lives mostly on animal food, which I believe it prefers, unless persistently 

 fed with grain, bread, etc. The young are fed mostly on spiders and soft larvie of 

 insects. In the nest I believe they are entirely animal feeders, but out of it they 

 take vegetable and animal food indiscriminately. (February 8, 1884. Present about 

 thirty-two years.) 



Buffalo. Prof. Charles Linden : A liveryman tells me that since the advent of the 

 Sparrow he has noticed a gratifying diminution in the number of bot-flies among his 

 horses. The Sparrow loves caterpillars, and iusects of all sorts. Our park superin- 

 tendent, a good, clear-headed observer, testifies in its favor, and ascribes the fine 

 condition of the trees in Buffalo Park largely to this insect-destroying capacity of 

 the Sparrow. I have often seen the Sparrow catching the white cabbage-butterfly, 



