68 
SPARROWS. 
“ Now they are entirely stripping the Red Currant trees of the fruit, 
which at present is green and half-grown.” 
Later on, on July 20tli, he further remarked:—“Sparrows are 
now busy taking the growing Barley. Last year, when collecting 
returns as Estimator for the Committee of Agriculture of the Lords 
in Council, several correspondents complained of the present damage 
done by small birds.” 
Relatively to my inquiries as to the results of the work of the 
Sparrow Club in Wirral, Cheshire, Mr. Gaskell, Secretary of the 
Wirral Farmers’ Club, wrote as follows :—“ We have still a quantity 
of Sparrows at the Corn again this year, and will, I think, never be 
able to avoid it, living so near a large town. Some farmers, members 
of our Club, living some distance out in the county, say they have not 
been so free for long enough. Our Club will take the matter firmly 
in hand soon, and try to get them slaughtered during the winter 
months, and about the homesteads, which, I think, the best way to 
get at them.” 
One especial point in the trouble caused by Sparrows is the extent 
to which they drive away regular insectivorous birds; and relatively 
to this Mr. Ralph Lowe, of Sleaford, who has for some years attended 
to the subject, wrote to me that at the Moat House, Leake, Boston, 
two years ago, “flies” were a pest to such a serious extent that “the 
occupier had taken your advice literally, and pretty well destroyed the 
Sparrows; the Swallows and Martins had consequently established 
themselves in large numbers, and the vest of insects had ceased to be 
destructive in the garden and orchard.” 
On inquiry of the occupier, he was good enough to favour me with 
an account of the various measures used, by netting and other means, 
for destruction of the birds; and besides these he gave the following 
note, which may be very serviceable to those who have difficulty in 
getting at the nests, and so destroying the pest in embryo:— 
“ Nests may be taken from buildings, &c., with a thin iron rod 
with either a screw or hook at the end, and fastened to a long light 
pole. 
“ Sparrows’ nests may be easily discovered by observing pieces of 
straw, wdiich generally hang from the nests or from holes in buildings 
which contain the nests. By using the screw I have already mentioned 
you may easily draw a nest from a place which it would be impossible 
to reach with the hand. 
“ By tying another pole to the one you have, you can reach nests 
in the water-spouts on high buildings, &c.” 
The need of these measures is plain to all who are personally 
concerned in agriculture, and to those who wish for solid information 
in compact form on this important subject, I strongly recommend the 
