The English sparrow is one bird of which no good word may be said. Among birds, it holds the place held by rats among beasts. It is crafty, quarrelsome, thieving, and a nuisance. It was imported in 1852 to eat moths. The results show how ignorant we are of animal life, and how slow we should be to tamper with the arrangements of nature. In Southern cities it produces five or six broods each year with four to six young in each brood. (Notice what it feeds its young.) It fights, competes with and drives away our native useful birds. It also eats grain and preys upon gardens. They have multiplied more in Australia and in North America than in Europe, because they left behind them their native enemies and their new enemies (crows, jays, shrikes, etc.) have not yet developed, to a sufficient extent, the habit of preying upon them. Nature will, perhaps, after a long time, restore the equilibrium destroyed by presumptuous man.
Protection of Birds.—1. Leave as many trees and bushes standing as possible. Plant trees, encourage bushes.
2. Do not keep a cat. A mouse trap is more useful than a cat. A tax should be imposed upon owners of cats.
3. Make a bird house and place it on a pole; remove bark from pole that cats may not climb it; or put a broad band of tin around the pole.
4. Scatter food in winter. In dry regions and in hot weather keep a shallow tin vessel containing water on the roof of an outhouse, or in an out-of-the-way place, for shy birds.
5. Do not wear feathers obtained by the killing of birds. What feathers are not so obtained?
6. Report all violators of laws for protection of birds.
7. Destroy English sparrows.
Fig. 315.—Great Blue Heron. In flight, balancing with legs.