“We find, in addition to what all concerned know too well already of the direct and obvious losses from sparrow marauding, that there is evidence of the injurious extent to which they drive off other birds, as the swallows and martins, which are much more helpful on account of their being wholly insectivorous; also that, so far from the sparrow’s food consisting wholly of insects at any time of the year, even in the young sparrows only half has been found to be composed of insects; and of the food of the adults, it was found from examination that in a large proportion of instances no insects at all were present, and of these many were of kinds that are helpful to us or harmless. It is well on record that there are many kinds of birds which help us greatly by devouring insects, and that where sparrows have systematically been destroyed for a long course of years other birds have fared better for their absence. Attention should also be drawn to the enormous powers of increase of this bird, which under not only protection, but to some extent absolute fostering, raises its numbers so disproportionately as to destroy the natural balance.
“Here as yet we have no movement beyond our own attempts to preserve ourselves, so far as we legally may, from Sparrow devastations; but in the United States of America (of the evidence of which I have given a part) the Association of the American Ornithologists gave their collective recommendation that all existing laws protecting the sparrow should be repealed, and bounties offered for its destruction; and the law protecting the sparrow has been repealed in Massachusetts and Michigan. Dr. Hart Merriam, the Ornithologist of the U.S.A. Board of Agriculture, also officially recommended immediate repeal of all laws affording protection to the English sparrow, and enactment of laws making it penal to shelter or harbour it; and Professor C. V. Riley, Entomologist to the Department, similarly conveyed his views officially as to it being a destructive bird, worthless as an insect killer. In Canada, on October 6, 1888, at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario, Mr. J. Fletcher, Entomologist of the Experimental Farms of the Department, strongly advocated the destruction of the sparrow; and in reply the Hon. C. W. Drury, Minister of Agriculture (who attended the meeting as head of the Agricultural Department of Ontario), stated ‘that this destructive bird was no longer under the protection of the Act of Parliament respecting insectivorous birds, and that every one was at liberty to aid in reducing its numbers.’ Reasoning on the same grounds as to procedure in this country, we believe that similar action is, without any reasonable cause for doubt, called for here. The amount of the national loss, by reason of ravaged crops and serviceable birds driven away, may be estimated, without fear of exaggeration, at from one to two millions a year. Much of their own protection lies in the hands of farmers themselves; and sparrow clubs, well worked, and always bearing in mind that it is only this one bird that is earnestly recommended to their attention, would probably lessen the load to a bearable amount; and we believe that subscriptions, whether local or from those who know the desirableness of aiding in the work of endeavouring to save the bread of the people from these feathered robbers, would be money wisely and worthily spent.”
FIG. D.—TREE SPARROW, PASSER MONTANUS
In his little book, “The House Sparrow,”[[67]] Mr. Tegetmeier writes:—“There is no species with which Passer domesticus is likely to be confounded except the Tree sparrow, P. montanus (the only other species indigenous to this country) which is less numerous and which is readily distinguished by its smaller size, being only 5½ instead of 6 inches in length, and by its having black patches in the middle of the white feathers on each side on the neck, and two distinct bands of white across the wing in place of one.” “The so-called Hedge-sparrow or Dunnock, Accentor modularis, is wrongly named. It is a purely insect-eating bird, and neither in its structure, habits nor food is it closely related to the House sparrow. It does not occur in large numbers, and is highly beneficial as an insect destroyer.”]
July 10, 1897.
Dear Mr. Tegetmeier,—Your letter received this morning is a very great pleasure to me—in fact, a great relief to my mind, for I was truly sorry to feel I might be trespassing on far more authoritative work. I should like to shorten my work if I could, but when we meet, I hope you will set me right as to condensing and all other matters. If we could rout P. domesticus it would be a national benefit. Much looking forward to our meeting on Tuesday.
August 4, 1897.
I think “House Sparrow” shapes up nicely altogether, and I have this morning received a letter from Dr. M. E. Oustalet, President of the “Comité Ornithologique permanent,” at Paris, to say that he has not been able to find any indication of destruction of sparrows having taken place by order of Government in the districts that I inquired about.
August 16, 1897.