English Sparrow Bounty 
Michigan had a law ])assed in hShi, under which a bounty 
was paid by tlie state for the killing- of English sparrows. 
The law led to a great deal of fraud, as those degenerates 
who made a practice of killing those birds did not hesitate 
to kill other nsefnl species, and to swear that they were 
English sparrows. This pnt a preminin on false swearing 
and led to the destruction of large nnnd)ers of song sparrows, 
chipping sparrows, gold-hnches, tree sparrows, and other 
birds that were sparrowy in look. Shooting of youths by 
each other took place in quarrels over the bodies or heads 
of dead birds, they being obliged to present the heads alone 
to receive the bounty. Men made their living by destroying- 
birds and, of course, were not particnlar what they shot. The 
resnlt of the law was that it led to demoralization among 
boys and y'ouths, as well as among many men. The history 
of the effects of that law as presented to the legislature was 
a disgusting, disgracefnl story, and sufficient to cost a blot 
on onr civilization. The resnlt was that it was re])ealed in 
1901 . 
In 190T) another legislature that failed to study the con- 
ditions of the ])revions law, passed an act allowing counties 
to give bounties on the killing of English sparrows. Some 
one is eternally forcing on the sparrow bugaboo and com- 
munities become frantic over the supposed harmfulness of 
these birds who know nothing about them, except from hear- 
say. The writer has gone into the communities and asked 
as to the damage the English sparrows commit without ever 
being able to obtain any facts. One will tell what a reliable 
authority told him, and that reliable authority will cite some- 
body else. These birds are pugnacious, quarrel more or less 
among themselves and undoubtedly drive other birds away 
that attempt to take possession of the localities where they 
live. From reports we are obliged to believe that they do 
some damage in some localities by eating grain, but, not- 
withstanding this, the writer is of the opinion that they do 
