The House Sparrow 
(Passer domestic us, Linnaeus). 
-f- 
The Sparrow question is one which is still constantly recurring, as it has 
done for many years, and as it will continue to do, until reliable evidence of 
the nature of the bird’s food is more accessible for general information than 
it is at present in this country. The mischief that is done by the Sparrows 
is easily observable, but excepting in connection with these noticeable devas¬ 
tations, the nature of their food (meaning by this what the adult birds feed 
on throughout the year, and what the nestlings are fed on) is far from 
having been as well brought forward as is desirable, and the published records 
of as much as we know (whether for or against Passer domesticus ) are 
neither as well before the public, nor as accessible to those practically 
concerned, as it would be well for them to be. 
When, consequently on the ill-advised introduction by private enterprise 
of this bird into the United States of America, serious and widespread losses 
occurred from its destructive habits, an investigation into the nature of its 
food was set on foot under the direction of the U.S.A. Board of Agriculture, 
by examination of the contents of many hundreds of Sparrows. These 
were submitted for identification to qualified members of the Ornithological 
Division, with final reference to Dr. C. V. Riley, the Entomologist of the 
Department, and the results were recorded both as to absence and presence 
of insects, and (where insects were present) their names and the orders to 
which they belonged were given, together with information as to whether 
they were of habits helpful or hurtful to the agriculturist, or, as far as was 
known, neither the one or the other; and these observations were published.* 
In this country we have also good work on the subject, including observa¬ 
tions and examinations made by known agriculturists, ornithologists, and 
other qualified investigators, comprising records of contents of very many 
hundred Sparrows, and notes of the results of the absence or presence of 
the bird in various localities, and for various lengths of time, up to as much 
as fifteen consecutive years or more ; some of these records are given in this 
pamphlet, in the hope that by gratuitous distribution they may be made 
generally accessible, and that further observations, also undertaken by 
properly qualified hands, may help to sound views on this important 
subject. 
The most detailed account that is generally accessible of the food of the 
House Sparrow, during each month of the year in England, is that given by 
the ornithologist, Mr. J. H. Gurney, of Keswick Hall, near Norwich.f The 
table from which the following information was prepared shows the con- 
* ‘ The Insectivorous Habits of the English Sparrow.’ By. C. V. Riley, Ph.D. 
[Extracted from ‘ Bulletin No. I., Div. Ornithology and Mammalogy, U.S. Dept, of 
Agriculture, entitled “ English Sparrow in America.”] 
f See ‘The House Sparrow.’ Messrs. W. Wesley A Son, 28, Essex Street, 
Strand, London. Pp. 11-17. 
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