952 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A SPARROW TRAP 



A poison mixture that has proved very 

 effective is prepared as follows : Put one- 

 eighth ounce of strychnia sulphate into 

 three- fourths of a gill of hot water and 

 boil until dissolved. Moisten tea- 

 spoonfuls of starch with a few drops of 

 cold water, add it to the poison solution, 

 and heat till the starch thickens. Pour 

 the hot poisoned starch solution over i 

 quart of wheat and stir until every ker- 

 nel is coated. Small-kerneled wheat sold 

 as poultry food, if reasonably clean, is 

 preferable to first-quality grain, being 

 cheaper and more easily eaten by the 

 sparrows. A 2-quart glass fruit jar is 

 a good vessel to mix in, as it is easily 

 shaken and allows the condition of the 

 contents to be seen. If the coated wheat 

 be spread thinly on a hard, flat surface, 

 it will dry enough for use in a short 

 time. It should be dried thoroughly if 

 it is to be put into jars and kept for 

 future use. Dishes employed in prepar- 

 ing poison may be safely cleansed by 

 washing. 



The poison should be well scattered, 

 so that many birds may be able to par- 

 take at the same time, since after a few 

 are affected their actions excite the sus- 

 picion of their comrades. Usually a few 

 sparrows get only enough strychnine to 

 paralyze them for a few hours, after 

 which they recover. It is important, 

 therefore, to visit the feeding places two 

 or three hours after distributing poison 

 to prevent such birds from escaping. It 

 is well also to remove dead birds 

 promptly to avoid exciting the suspicions 



of those that are unaffected. In north- 

 ern latitudes the best time to put out 

 poison is just after a snowstorm, when 

 other food is covered. The feeding place 

 should be cleared of snow and the poi- 

 son laid early in the morning. 



Sparrows should be baited in secluded 

 places, safe from interruptions and 

 where doves and poultry are not endan- 

 gered. Roofs, back yards, and unused 

 poultry runs are favorable situations. 

 Proximity to low trees, grape arbors, 

 and similar retreats has the advantage 

 that sparrows go to such places between 

 meals, and many dead birds will be 

 found there well away from the bait. If 

 undisturbed, poisoned birds will usually 

 be found within a few feet of where the 

 bait was spread, death occurring in from 

 three to twenty minutes. Where doves 

 or poultry are likely to be poisoned, the 

 sparrows, after being baited, may be in- 

 duced to feed in small covered pens 

 made of coarsely meshed wire netting 

 and having the sides raised about an inch 

 and a half above the ground. There is 

 practically no danger that cats or other 

 animals will die from eating sparrows 

 that have been poisoned. Any wheat 

 coated by the above process, which is 

 overlooked by the birds, will become 

 harmless after a few rains. 



Sparrows can be reduced locally to 

 almost any desired extent by the methods 

 outlined above, but it should not be for- 

 gotten that such reduction can be made 

 permanent only by systematic and con- 

 tinued efforts. 



