English Sparrows

Several yoars ago some of the eastern cities- more particularly New York and Brooklyn- were much troubled with the canker worm on the shade trees, and in such great numbers were they produced that they hung suspended from the treea to the great terror of the ladies passing, and feü upon the sidewalks, rendering them fllthy and almost impassable. They were a great nuisance, and knowing ones set themselves at work to find a remedy. It was suggested that in England the sparrows fed upon these worms, and as nature, when left to herself, produced parasites and enemies to keep down the over production of any species, so nature in this instance inight be assisted by colonizing the sparrows, the natural enemy of the canker worm. Our native bird, although invited to the feast, had refused to partake. The sparrows were impoated; thosa who were instrumental in bringing them did not think, or, perhaps, care to think, whether the sparrows might not in turn become as great and a more widely spread nuisance than the worms, and that some natural enemy might not be necessary to prevent the over production of the sparrows. The question then was sparrows or worms. It is said a young lady in Cleveland enquired of a young gentleman which he would rather have the sparrows or the worms. He replied that he never had the sparrows and could not teil. Experiments showod that the sparrows would not destroy the canker worm in a country where there was so much food they preferred, and no benefit was derived from their importation. But the sparrows remain, and until over production of the speoies arises they will confine themselves to cities and villages, but if the time arrivés when the numbers are too great for sustenanee in the cities, then they will spread into the country.Ito thej destruction of its fruits and grains. Having no natural enemy here as they have in England, there will be no limit to their increase except the limit of food. Dr. Elliot Cones, a noted naturalist, seeing the evil ahead, advises that means should be used to keep the number within limits, and that even the boys should be encouraged to destroy them. On the contrary the excessive humanitarian sentiment, represented in Mr. Burg, protests against the destruction of these little creatures of God, not reflecting that nature herself provides carnivorous birds and animáis to keep down over production. Nature's balance of production and destruction keeps our owns birds, whether songsters or others, within reasonable limits, and it is observed by naturalists in England that the enemies of the sparrows keep their numbers reduced so that they are not more plenty one year than another. In Michigan it is made a misdemeanor by statute to destroy them at any season of the year. This provisión ought to be repealed. The reasons why they should be protected are few; why they should be destroyed there are inany. It is asserted upon gome proof that they drive away the song birds, that they destroy fruits and grains. In cities they are a nuisance: they build their nests under the cornioes, are filthy in the yards, and render the cistern water impure. With present experienee we think the Cleveland young man would have greatly preferred the irorms. What is to be done? The English sparrow hawk might be imported and our own small hawks encouraged, but would they confine themselves to sparrows and let our little harmless birds alone? It might be difficult to raise poultry in the country. The first step to be taken is to repeal the statute giving sparrows protection, and some way will be devised for the mitigation of the evil.