9S 
TIIK CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
English Sparrows ( Passo' doniesticus) in spite of their commonness, their 
rank hoodlumism, their ceaseless clamor, and their strenuous antipathy to the 
presence of more welcome birds — in their relation to the economy of nature afford a 
subject well worthy of study. During the winter of 1902-1903 there were none of 
these birds about my premises. In 190,1 a flock suddenly appeared late in October, 
and spent the remainder of the fall and all winter with me. Often I met with some 
of the members of this flock along the creek among the trees, where their impu- 
dent chirps seemed strangely and strongly incongruous. 'When we reflect upon 
their prompt and confident manner of taking possession of new territory, as here 
illustrated, we can easily understand how it is that these birds, since the fifties, 
have been enabled to overrun our country so largely. We can see that although 
the fittest in nature must survive, 3’et the fittest of nature’s plan are not alwa\'s 
those that appeal to our sympathies as being the best. The bluebird is continually 
being driven from the neighborhood of our houses by the noisy and bellicose spar- 
row’s. Now’, w’hat being in the realm of nature, in a higher sense, is “fitter” to 
enjoy the best in life than is that emblem of innocence and purity, that “bit of 
blue sk^’,” the bluebird? Yet the fittest of the biologist is the organism that is 
able to cope best w’ith its surroundings; and w’here can we find a better example of 
such a being than is the English Sparrow’? How’ and why, it has succeeded so w’ell, 
is thus pointed out b}’ Coues: “This species, of all birds, naturally attaches itself 
most closely to man, and easily modifies its habits to suit such artificial surround- 
ings; this ready yielding to conditions of environment, and profiting by them, 
makes it one of the creatures best fitted to survive in the struggle for existence 
under whatever conditions man ma}’ afford or enforce; hence it w’ins in every 
competition w’ith native birds, and in this country has as yet developed no counter- 
acting influences to restore a disturbed balance of forces, nor any check w’hatever 
upon its limitless increase.” 
I do not recall ever having seen a House Wren ( 'fro^iilodytcs aedon parkin am) 
at my stamping ground on Medicine Root, but at Grass Creek they were verj’ 
abundant. At the former station the number of large trees is not great, w’hile at 
the latter place there are many good-sized willow’s and elms having numerous hol- 
low’s and knot-holes, and perhaps it is for this reason that there are innumerable 
w’rens at Grass Creek, but I do not know. They become common about the 
second w’eek in May. 
“Music hath charms” is a saying trite but true. The charm about the song 
of our Dakota w’ren, how’ever, resides not altogether in the music of it. When the 
ditty falls upon our ears the associative faculties straightw’a\’ bring up mental 
pictures of other scenes and sounds. In the wilds of Dakota, with Indians roam- 
ing here and there, with the Bad Lands blazing in the sun, and w’ith a strange sky 
overhead, clo.se your e\’es and hearken to the singing of the w’ren. Immediately 
fond remembrance brings back the surroundings of your boyhood days in Illinois, 
the cool, moist groves of maples, and the little House Wren pausing to warble joy- 
ously during the intervals of its labor of collecting larvie for the hungry brood. 
Brown Thrashers ( 7'oxostonia rutuni ) were more numerous at Grass Creek 
than at Medicine Root. During the few vears throughout w’hich I studied them in 
Dakota, they became common at any time from May 3 to Maj’ 17, and after mid- 
September they w’ere seen no more. A pair of thrashers that had built their nest 
in a bush not far from the dw’elling house used to visit my cord-w’ood pile for 
borers to feed to their nestlings. Once when I approached the nest, the mother 
bird, who w’as on the point of giving one of these larvie to her young, sw’allowed 
the insect herself in order that she might the better scold me. I estimated that 
