140 General Notes. [ February, 
April, at the blossoming of the peach, which this year was un- 
usually early, I saw,one morning, two English sparrows busily _at 
work on a peach-tree in my yard, and, on going nearer, perceived 
they were nipping off the blossoms with terrible rapidity. The 
ground was already strewn with scores of the crimson flowers, and 
I have no doubt that, unless interrupted, the tree, which is of a 
fair size, would have been utterly stripped—to the last bud, with- 
in less than half an hour. Close watching failed to discover the 
object of the birds, whether they were in search of insect or vege- © 
table food, or whether their action was an exhibition of mere 
wantonness or destructiveness, which latter conclusion it would be 
difficult to receive. On the following morning another of the spe- 
cies was found similarly employed on a neighboring peach-tree, 
which was being just as rapidly denuded .of its blossoms. The 
flowers were nipped off by the bird’s beak, at the peduncle, a 
short distance below the receptacle, as neatly and swiftly as 
though done with a pair of scissors. This opened to my gaze 
such a horrible vista as to the destructiveness of the bird, that I 
turned away aghast at the spectacle. At this rate a few pairs of 
this sparrow would destroy the crop of an entire peach orchard in 
the course of two or three days. It cannot be, however, that this 
is a general habit of the bird, as our peach crop this season was 
the most abundant which we have had for years; fine peaches 
being retailed here, early in the season, at as low as three cents 
per quart. 
Considering the destruction wrought by insect pests in our 
Southern States, I have thought this sparrow would prove of 
great benefit to that region, saving millions of dollars in the 
cotton, corn, vegetable and tobacco crops. The climate would 
also seem to be more suitable for it, particularly during the win- 
ter—Henry Gillman, Detroit, Michigan. . 
INTELLIGENCE IN A Cat.—The chief of our pets is “Shorty,” 4 
castrated cat now fourteen years old. Of course he has led a 
very quiet, dignified life, always at home, and never addicted 
to roof music at nights. He isa dear old fellow—neat and tidy 
in his habits, and taking the presence of any kind of filth as 
a matter of deep disgust and offence. In his middle age— 
avoirdupois sixteen pounds—he was a “mighty hunter.” His 
greatest recorded feat being the killing of nine rats in one pleas- 
ant afternoon. It is an abomination in his ears to have them 
pierced by the “discordant noises” of a cat fight. One day, 
years ago, two younger felines engaged in an animated dis- 
cussion with claws and teeth, filling the air with yells and flying 
fur. “Shorty” heard it, and ran in a succession of flying leaps t© 
the spot. He bounded in between the two “bad boys,” separating 
them in an instant. There he stood for a brief space, eyeing first 
one and then the other, with his right paw elevated, and grow 
ing fiercely. The youngsters drew down their arched backs, the 
