12 
NATURE NOTES. 
Again, is it not obviously shakj’ to account for the rapid 
decrease in house-martins by the not very common occurrence 
of sparrows taking the martins’ nests. Were it not more reason- 
able to put it down to the enormous destruction of their nesting 
places in the shape of those old thatched and stone-tiled village 
houses and farms, which the martin so dearly loves ; and the 
innovation of modern buildings with wooden spouts, which he 
rarely chooses as a support for his nest ? 
In one part of his article Mr. Edwards states that the “ cry 
of the house-martins when the sparrows have turned them out is 
piteous to hear.” Surely his feelings at that time must have been 
of a very different sort from those which enabled him to place 
bird lime at the mouth of a “nest which contained young 
sparrows, thinking to catch the old ones.” 
Again, if we are to believe Mr. Edwards, the Creator of the 
sparrow was obviously at fault when He made that bird, for he 
says, “ they [the sparrows] would do better to leave the cater- 
pillars to the more skilful grub-hunters.” 
To sum up, I quite agree that sparrows are getting far too 
numerous for comfort, but it is also evident that the blame lies not 
with the bird itself, but with those foolish meddlers who, for no- 
better reason than trivial personal convenience, or through 
arrant ignorance, foolishly destroy Nature’s means of keeping 
the balance — e.g., our birds of pre)’. IMan bas more than once 
proved himself unable to cope with a disturbance in this balance, 
a case in point being that mentioned by Mr. W. R. Riley, with 
regard to the Cheshire sparrow-killers. 
Halifax. Rowland H. Hill. 
I entirely agree with Mr. Riley that we have probably the 
game-keepers to blame, in great measure, for the increase of 
sparrows, and I should always advocate the sparing of sparrow- 
hawks, even though they may be inconvenient to those who take 
pleasure in game-preserves ; but I cannot think that the present 
increase of sparrows is entirely due to such a cause. What the 
additional reason is I am quite at a loss to understand. If it 
could be ascertained we might have the satisfaction of trying to 
reform the culprits, but till this can be done I think we are 
rather in the dark. 
The Rev. Aubrey Edwards seems to have very conclusively 
proved that sparrows come under the Society’s ban, for they are 
evidently violent anti-Selbornians, and I am afraid there is no 
chance of their conversion. IMy experience, limited as it is, has 
been very similar to his. Where I used to hear and see white- 
throats, chaffinches and tits, I now only hear the sparrows’ 
monotonous chirp, and see their graceless, heavy motions. 1 
hardly feel prepared to advocate shooting the bold fellows, but 
I think to pull down their nests, before they have hatched, is 
quite justifiable. 
Bayswater . Isabel Fry. 
