44 
BY THE WA YSIDE 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
Published on the tenth of each month ex¬ 
cept July and August. 
The official organ of the Wisconsin Audu¬ 
bon Society. 
Fifty cents per year Single copies 5 cents 
Contributions to By the Wayside are 
invited from all lovers of Nature and 
friends of the birds. All communications 
should be sent to Roland E. Kremers 1720 
Vilas St,., Madison, Wis. 
Roland E. Kremers, Editor, 172 0 
Vilas St., Madison, Wis. 
Dr. Victor Kutchin, Secretary-Treas¬ 
urer, Green Lake, Wis. 
Tn all the discussion pro and con n 
the case of the English sparrow, w 
do not often come across the argumen 
that the species is an intruder. Thi 
tact is frequently brought home to us 
T here is a certain park where we fre 
quently go to study birds,—a beauti 
fid place; marsh and water, hillsid. 
and meadow, thicket and woods li< 
within a small area; an ideal place f 
j® for bird life > and the forms assem 
bled are as various as the surround 
ui&'s. Here, of a beautiful morning, i 
18 a P lea sure to listen to the birds 
joyous chorus and to see their activt 
movements. As is often the case in citv 
parks, the line of demarcation is sharp 
How depressing it is after a morning’s 
ia PP> outing to return home, to ex- 
change a varied chorus for the dis¬ 
cordant bickering, squabbling notes ol 
lie house sparrow,-for the separa- 
ion o tlie habitats of our native birds 
and the sparrow are nearly as distinct 
as that of park and residence districts 
% .ta.d ,hi» b., t , it 
the European House Sparrow has so 
completely monopolized urban locali- 
lies as to drive out all other birds, or 
is it because the cities are not attrac¬ 
tive or fit surroundings for our native 
forms? The truth of the matter prob¬ 
ably contains elements of both explan¬ 
ations. The sparrow is a very pug¬ 
nacious, monopolistic sort of individual 
and his numbers are such as to enable 
him to crowd or drive out others. And 
yet birds as a whole are not unused to 
competition,—their whole existence is 
a struggle,—the survival of the fittest. 
So the conclusion is that our homes 
are not attractive homes for the birds 
also; a conclusion that is substanti¬ 
ated by a scrutiny of our residence sec- 
lions. It is a sad reflection that as a 
nation we do not live on better terms 
with our feathered neighbors who as 
a whole are so ready to trust us if we 
will but be kind and considerate to 
them. 
Game Preserves in Illinois 
The following clipping is from a re¬ 
cent number of the 4 'Mount Morris In¬ 
dex,’' published in Mount Mori •is, Ogle 
County, Illinois: 
“Official announcement of the selec¬ 
tion of Col. Frank 0. Lowden’s entire 
farm in Nashua township for a game 
preserve has been made by the State 
Fish and Game Commission. The 
farm will be stocked with ringnecked 
pheasants, quail, prairie chickens and 
other game birds, and no one, even the 
owner of the land, will be permitted 
to hunt the game within the confines 
of the preserve. All rabbits, squirrels 
and game which are within the pre¬ 
serve are also protected by the law. 
The purpose of the game preserve is 
to protect the birds, permitting them 
to thrive, and in a few years, it is 
(Continued on page J/6) 
