Concord, Mass.
1909
March 21
(No 4)  
  Mrs. E. W. Emerson told me an interesting and
most surprising story about some Tree Sparrows. Six
of them settled for the past winter near her house
coming to it every day for the seeds that she put out for
them. As they were eating these one morning a bird
was suddenly attacked by another, apparently without
provocation, and pecked so severely about his head
and neck that it was speedily & completely disabled.
Mrs. Emerson saw all this with her own eyes. She
knows the Sparrows well and is certain that one
of them was the aggressor. Mr. Emerson went out
and picked up the injured bird. After satisfying
himself that it could not recover he killed it. 
He tells me that the most serious wound it
showed was in the cervical vertebrae near the
back of the skull. The other five birds were seen through
the entire winter.
Tree Sparrow attacked & mortally wounded
by another bird of the same species