THE SPARROW— FOR AND AGAINST. 45 
1 rose in anger and had one of the young ones shot and hung 
up ; whereupon all the rest, to my great satisfaction, left the 
neighbourhood. 
I was glad to read Mr. Aubrey Edwards’ indictment of the 
sparrow, which I think is not a bit too strong. I have watched 
the habits of this bird for over forty years, and I regret to say 
that the little good it does is more than counterbalanced by its 
misdeeds. I admit that sparrows at certain seasons consume 
the seeds of the knot-grass {Polygonum aviculare), and that during 
the very early stage of their nestlings’ existence they feed them 
with aphides and other insects ; but in a week or so this diet is 
changed for peas and young wheat, when procurable. Who has 
ever seen the sparrow feeding on the wireworm, turnip-nigger, 
or gooseberry grub ? One morning in the middle of June, two 
summers ago, I saw thousands of the larvae of the small ermine 
moth {Yponomeuta padella), which had just denuded a fine thorn 
in a London square of every leaf, and were letting themselves 
down by gossamer-like threads on to the railings of the enclosure 
and marching off to another tree; but although^ their line ex- 
tended for many yards, and plenty of sparrows were sitting on 
the railings, I never saw them attempt to eat one. They were 
simply looking after the corn on the neighbouring cab-stand ! 
The sparrow is not a particularly early riser ; the greenfinch 
is up and has done an hour’s work before it will even utter its 
sleepy chirp, and it wakes up in time to get a good meal when 
the poultry are first fed, and then loafs about the house and 
buildings until it can get another meal gratis. In August, when 
the last of their brood — of which they often have three — are 
ready to fly, they go off en famille to the ripe corn, and are joined 
by the town sparrows, who annually take their summer outing. 
What gardener, too, in spring has not had his primroses and 
crocuses plucked off in sheer wantonness by them ? 
Here, as in many places, we feed the small birds all the year 
round, but the sparrows greatly interfere with them, and drive 
away many of our sweetest songsters of the soft-billed species ; 
and it is only after the sparrows have gone to roost that the" 
robins and hedge-sparrows can really enjoy their meal. 
Another great argument against the sparrow is the unani- 
mous outcry made against it whenever imported into our colonies. 
In your January number are two short extracts in its favour, 
from the “Birds’ Protection Committee ” Report. This is a 
volume of over 200 pages, and is very good reading ; oict of the 
thirty-eight experts and naturalists examined a vast majority declared 
against the sparrow. 
Since the operation of the “ Poisoned Grain Act ’’ the 
sparrow has greatly increased all over the country, and has 
even taken to build in the hedges ; it is a corn-feeder all the 
year round, a parasite upon the farmer, and must be kept within 
due bounds. 
Bury St. Edmunds. 
W. H. Tuck. 
