1868.] Lhe European FHouse-Sparrow. 583 
ith ashes, singing the song of death. to Smith, the agent, to be put up inthe 
the questions he asked, Lagos churchyard. “To Mary the 
she only waile sang, and nobody loving wife of James lands,” — that 
ever saw Langlands ard of him wasall. We eht that she would like 
agen. phe gpg ema afterwards 
went to Lagos just to read ’em once 
agen: t the heavy rains had washed 
a stone out ’em all away away. 
after I got back. She 
THE EUROPEAN HOUSE-SPARROW. 
**You call them thieves and pillagers ; but know 
They are the wingéd wardens of your farms, 
Who from the cornfields drive the insidious foe, 
And from your harvests keep a hundred harms; 
Crushing the beetle in his coat of mail, 
And crying havoc on the slug and snail,” 
LoncGFELLow’s Birds of Killingworth. 
OME twelve months since, at a so- tive little favorites of Young New York 
cial assembly of literary and scien- filled our minds with uneasiness, and 
tific gentlemen in Boston, mention was even excited painful apprehensions. 
made of the experiment tried in New. Yet we were loath to accept his con- 
York of introducing and naturalizing clusions as final. At least we would 
among us the common and familiar not give up their case as hopeless with- 
house-sparrow of Europe. The experi- out looking a little further into it and 
ment, it was stated, had been, so far, sig- judging for ourselves. Weare therefore 
nally successful. Thebirdshadthriven, happy in being able to say, that, after 
increased in numbers, and were fully diligent and careful research, we find 
accomplishing all that had been antici- the most conclusive evidence that there 
pated from them, in warring upon the is a very bright side to the question, 
insects so injurious to the foliage of the tending to reconcile us to whatever 
shade-trees of that city. At the same there may also be of a darker shading. 
meeting one of our distinguished sa- We find that this very “devil” incar- 
vans expressed grave apprehensions nate, as our scientific friend tells us 
— founded upon the alleged destructive the sparrow was called by men in old- 
habits of these birds, especially that of en time, has been painted a good deal 
preying upon the ripening grain—lest blacker than his natural color. Cer- 
their general introduction into the Unit- tainly his is not a case of total deprav- 
ed States might be followed by calami- ity. The sparrowis not all evil. That 
tous results. Subsequently, at a meet- he does a great deal of good is now 
ing of the Boston Society of Natural universally admitted. The good al- 
History, the same gentleman read a ready accomplished by the few of his 
communication characterized by his race domiciled among us is indisputa- 
usual research, in which he presented _ ble and of the first importance. 
a very dark picture of the moral char- Does the mischief the sparrows do 
acter of our protégés, citing voluminous exceed the good they may accomplish, 
authorities as to their destructiveness or the reverse? Should their impor- 
among the grain-fields of Europe. tation into this country, and their nat- 
We are free to confess that his very uralization among us, be stopped, or 
serious charges against these attrac- should it be encouraged? Must the 
a 
