Show the english 0 sparrow that our worthy doctors are wag j little 1 english T IL sparrow C ing war against deserves a insects low words of defense the eats many sparrow as the writer walter un by A G BUCHANAN BUCHA NAN chicago ou der stands was introduced into this country some borne fifty years ago to destroy the inch worms that had become such a pest these worms hung in thousands by invisible webs from the shade trees in the parks and residential streets of our eastern cities at the time the sparrow was brought over many claimed they were grain eaters and destructive to gardens and that they would not eat or destroy worms or insects if they could get their natural food the follow following inc facts the writer thinks will refute the above belief one morning a short time since while he be was passing along the busiest part of dearborn street a sparrow almost ficia new into the writers face so eager was the little bird in pursuit of his prey that i rt it had lost all fear of humanity stopping to watch the excited sparrow I 1 saw that it 1 was after a moth miller so tiny that it was almost invisible in its rapid flight to escape back and forward across the Ei sidewalk dewalk bird and miller flew out into the street down into the gutter olor hundreds of grains of oats that had bad been dropped in the street by the feeding teams yet the oats the supposed natural food of the sparrow were completely overlooked by the bird its appetite whetted to frenzy by the sight of the household post tile the moth miller it was willing to work and work hard for this flying morsel despite the easy breakfast lying a on the street at its feet look on any lawn and you will see the sparrow side by side with the tha robin redbreast hunting not for grain but for the destructive grub W orm and insect and then too what lias has become of the old post pest the inch worm |