Dodson Bird Houses 
Joseph. H. Dodson, Kankakee, Illinois 
Bird Enemies and How to Fig,ht Them 
English Sparrows and Cats are bitter enemies of our song birds. 
The bad mannered, rowdy, dirty, raucous voiced sparrow bands together in 
flocks to torment the Wrens, Bluebirds, Robins and other birds we love. 
The sneaking, cruel cat hunts them for love of hunting. The most petted, 
pampered tabby is still a bird hunter. 
The first step in bird protection is: 
Banish the English Sparrow 
The English Sparrow must go. The bird has wrought a great deal of evil to 
our country chiefly by its activity in driving away native song birds. I urge you 
to read the extracts from the U. S. Government Bulletin which are quoted on 
following pages. The scientists who have made a study of birds in their relation 
to agriculture and horticulture are all agreed in condemning the sparrow. I 
believe that the Dodson Sparrow Trap is the simplest and yet the most effective 
means for fighting this feathered pest. Everywhere in the country these traps are 
being set out and every one of them is successfully serving its owner by capturing 
many sparrows. One of the first traps I sold went to a gentleman in Cleveland, 
and a few days after he received it he wrote me that on the first day it was set 
out he caught between 75 and 100 sparrows. I have hundreds of letters from 
other delighted purchasers testifying to the success of the trap. 
While I am proud of the good work the Dodson Bird Houses are doing, I am 
inclined to believe that the Dodson Sparrow Trap is accomplishing more real 
good for native birds, by its effective service in helping us to get rid of the sparrow, 
than any other one device I have produced. 
If you want to help us in this good work of fighting the sparrow in order to 
save the song birds of America, set out a Dodson Sparrow Trap. During the cold 
months when food is scarce you can catch more sparrows than at any other time. 
The trap works successfully, however, at any season of the year and should be 
working all the time so long as there are any sparrows about your place. 
The Case of the Government 
Extracts from Farmers’ Bulletin, 493 U. S. Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture. 
“The English Sparrow among birds, like the rat 
among mammals, is cunning, destructive and filthy. Its 
natural diet consists of seeds, but it eats a great variety 
of other foods. 
“As a flock of 50 sparrows requires daily the equiva¬ 
lent of a quart of wheat, the annual loss caused by these 
birds throughout the country is very great. It reduces 
the number of some of our most useful and attractive 
native birds, as Bluebirds, House Wrens, Purple Martins, 
Tree Swallows, Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows, by 
destroying their eggs and young and by usurping nesting 
places. It attacks other familiar species, as the Robin, 
Wren, Red-Eyed Vireo, Cat Bird, and Mocking Bird, 
causing them to desert parks and shady streets of towns. 
Unlike our native birds whose place it usurps, it has no 
song, but is noisy and vituperative. It defiles buildings 
and ornamental trees, shrubs and vines with its excre¬ 
ment and with its bulky nests. 
“The evidence against the English Sparrow is, on 
the whole, overwhelming, and the present unfriendly 
attitude of the public towards it is reflected in our 
State laws. Nowhere is it included among protected 
birds. 
“Although English Sparrows are widely distributed 
as a species, individuals and flocks have an extremely 
narrow range, each flock occupying one locality to which 
its activities are chiefly confined. This fact is 
favorable to their extermination, for when a place has 
once been cleared of sparrows some time elapses before 
it is reoccupied. This tendency to remain on special 
territory was well shown. during a recent experiment 
with a flock in a small city garden. During the fall. 
Against the English Sparrow 
steady trapping reduced the resident flock in the garden 
to a dozen individuals, 274 birds having been trapped. 
The survivors were poisoned. Though another flock 
lived in the street just beyond the fence, the garden was 
sparrow-free for three months. In the following spring 
a few sparrows appeared, but were soon trapped. After 
this the garden continued throughout the summer 
without a resident flock, and only rarely was it visited 
by sparrows from other parts of the neighborhood. 
AIDING NATIVE BIRDS AGAINST THE ENGLISH 
SPARROW 
“One of the greatest objections to the English 
Sparrow is its aggressive antagonism towards the small 
native birds, especially those familiar species which, 
like itself, build their nests in cavities. Nest boxes 
provided for Bluebirds, Martins or Wrens—birds both 
useful and pleasing—too often fall into the possession of 
this graceless alien. Fortunately, it is possible to aid 
the native birds by selecting suitable nesting boxes. 
ENGLISH SPARROWS AS FOOD 
In most localities in the United States, English 
Sparrows are a pest. There is, therefore, no reason why 
the birds should not be utilized for food in this country, 
as they have in the Old World for centuries. Their 
flesh is palatable, and though their bodies are small, 
their numbers fully compensate for their lack of size. 
Birds that have been trapped may be kept alive in large 
outdoor cages, sheltered from storms and cold winds, 
until they are wanted for the table. It is unprofitable 
to keep them long, however, as the quantity of grain 
or food they require daily, amounts to more than half 
their own weight. A variety of food is necessary to 
