Journal of Proceedings. 
xxv 
his brother, who wrote that tlie sparrows had cleared a field ; and he was 
quite certain that in England too the sparrows did a great deal of harm. 
The President: The general concensus of opinion seems to be that we 
should deal rather roughly with the sparrow, but I should very much like 
to hear some gentleman say a word or two in. his favour, if he can. 
Because if this discussion goes out to the w T orld without any adverse 
comment, the sparrows no doubt will have a bad time of it. Mr. English, 
have you anything to say in defence of the sparrows ? 
Mr. English was afraid he could not speak much in favour of them; 
being fond of horticulture, he found them a great torment to the peas. 
He went on to say that it was strange how easily they were deceived; he 
had lately observed sparrows very busily gathering the petals of the 
apple-blossom, and he found that they used the petals to line their nests; 
it was clear that they had mistaken them for feathers. 
The Secretary read the following letter from Sir Clarke -Jervoise, Bart., 
dated Horndean, Hampshire, May 17th :— 
“ I see by the card which arrived this morning that on Saturday next 
the subject of ‘ Martins and Sparrows ’ will be discussed. It may be 
of interest if I narrate my own experiences. 
“Some years ago there appeared in the ‘Times’ a letter from the 
Bev. F. 0. Morris, of Nunburnholme, near York, on the subject of 
martins being in possession of the ‘ coignes of vantage ’ at his house. 
Next year the sparrows were in possession. The third year neither 
martins nor sparrows inhabited the locality. This fact I believe I was 
able to explain thus :—One year some martins built over my front door 
and reared their brood. Then the sparrows took possession of the 
martins’ dwelling, enlarged the front opening, and furnished the nest 
according to their taste with the various materials they are in the habit 
of using, liorse-liair among the rest. The second year, as I was dressing 
in a room (on Sunday morning) opposite, I heard a great deal of 
screaming, and saw the martins flying about evidently in great trouble of 
mind. One of the martins in coming from his house had put his head 
through a noose which he had made out of the horse-hair at his own 
front door in attempting to restore the style of building which had been 
altered by the sparrows. I got a short ladder, and liberated the martin. 
The next year the martins declined to build for the sparrows, and there 
were, therefore, no martins and no sparrows. 
“ I now observe that the same little game is begun by the sparrows in 
a martin’s nest of last year. I shall give the sparrows notice to quit, 
and I feel confident the martins will then return. They can afford to 
wait, as the present weather in this very dry county does not admit of 
building material for martins’ nests being readily found.” 
The Secretary went on to say that he was quite dismayed at the 
severity of the charges brought against the sparrows. It must be remem¬ 
bered, however, that the hawks, the natural checks upon the undue 
increase of the Passerinse, had been in great measure exterminated by 
the irrational, unprofitable, and selfish systems of game-preserving now 
practised, and not until keepers were deprived of their guns could we 
hope to see the admirable balance of Nature restored. To aid, artificially 
