Off. Poc.] Pennsylvania State Boabd of Agriculture. 5 
sparrow evil has its counterpart in the, Canada thistle evil, and tlie 
longer we put otf doing something definite the worse the evil becomes. 
We have had meeting after meeting, and discussion after discussion, 
upon the best way to advise the opening of the extermination war, 
but the sparrows are so numerous, and are so strongly entrenched in 
their positions that the task of anything like extermination seems 
beyond our power. I am told that the farmers in our State, particu- 
larly those in the eastern part, have become aroused to such a point 
that they see a remedy only in offering a bounty for the sparrow’s scalp. 
It has been in the air for the past year that something definite must 
be done, for already the damage from the sparrow in our State is 
enormous, and increasing in geometrical proportion 
My facilities for observation and research have been of the best, 
both in the country and the city, and 1 have read much that has been 
written about this national pest. Before giving my conclusions, which 
are the result of much time and thought spent upon the subject, 1 
will read a letter from Dr, C. Hart Merriam,the efficient ornithologist 
of the U. S. Board of Agriculture : 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C., January 9^ 1889. 
Dear Mr. Sennett : Your letter of the 8th instant has just come to 
hand, and in reply 1 take pleasure in sending you by this mail a copy 
of the matter relating to bounties, from our forthcoming report on the 
English sparrow. If you read this, you may speak of it as advance 
sheets from the forthcoming bulletin on the English sparrow (Bulletin 
No. 1, Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy). Of course 
for your particular purpose the word Pennsylvania might be substi- 
tuted for Ohio. The six page summary accompanying this report was 
prepared by Prof. Barrows for the meeting of the State Board of 
Agriculture which he attended last year, but, as you know, was not 
used. 
Trusting that the State will not do so foolish a thing as to offer a 
bounty on sparrows, I remain. 
Very truly yours, 
0. Hart Merriam, 
Ornithologist, 
All those interested in this important question would doubtless 
enjoy hearing the contents of the advance sheets of Dr. Merriam ’s 
report ; but as it would take up too much of your valuable time, and 
I am fearful of wearying vou, I will merely quote the necessary points 
as I take them from the summary of the work, prepared by Prof. 
Barrows. 
Bounties — Reason Why Not Advisable. 
[A] Without regard to expense. 
[1] The offer of a bounty appeals mainly, if not entirely, to men 
or boys who have no further interest in birds of any kind 
than that inspired by their cash values, hence very many 
valuable birds will be killed. 
[2] The orjdinary safe methods of shooting and trapping are too 
slow to be profitable, and all sparrow killers will be 
tempted to use other methods — especially the most pow 
erful and dangerous poisons. In this way domesticated 
birds and animals are sure to piiffpr. ♦^nrl pvon human life 
