THE HOUSE SPARROW. 



417 



in their absence other birds would not destroy them at least as 

 effectually. This can be found out only in one way, by banishing 

 the sparrows from a place for some years." This Col. Russell 

 did, his place being a fair specimen of the country, that is, having 

 flower and kitchen gardens, shrubberies, orchard surrounded by 

 meadows, with cornfields all round ; and all birds excepting 

 sparrows were let alone. The result was that after the almost 

 total absence of sparrows from his garden for many years every- 

 thing seeemed to do better than elsewhere, many things much 

 better. Young peas needed no protection from birds ; green peas 

 were not picked out of the pods (excepting one year in the fifteen, 

 when some other birds devoured the late peas), and the goose- 

 berry buds were not picked out. 



In regard to special examination, Col. Russell noted: — "Fifty 

 old sparrows, and sparrows which could feed themselves, were 

 killed one summer about my buildings and garden with food in 

 their crops. This food, carefully examined (as in all cases, with 

 a lens), was found to be corn, milky, green, and ripe ; and some- 

 times green peas from my garden. Only two small insects 

 were found in the whole number. The food in them has been 

 much the same every year." 



"On the whole, the deduction from the food-test during fifteen 

 years seems to be that the sparroivs are useless, and that the 

 insects which would be given to their young by them, if they were 

 allowed to live in numbers about my premises, would be so much 

 food taken, xohen they most want it, from better birds ivhich live 

 entirely, or nearly so, on insects, and thus keep them, especially 

 caterpillars, down so effectively in the absence of sparrows that, 

 when a chance pair of these come and build, there are few of 

 their favourite sorts for them.''' 



The above paragraph is inserted in italics on account of its 

 importance as the result of fifty years' observation of sparrow 

 life, to which, during fifteen years, examination of their contents 

 was added — this by a landed proprietor in a locality well suited 

 for observation, and so well known for his trustworthy researches 

 that he was examined on the Wild Birds Parliamentary Com- 

 mittee — and his records, together with those of Mr. Gurney and 

 two other observers, are officially noted by the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture as "an important European work to be 

 mentioned in connection with ' the house sparrow.' " 



