Journal of Proceedings.
xxv
his brother, who wrote that the sparrows had cleared a field; and he was
quite certain that in England too the sparrows did a great deal of harm.
The President: The general concensus of opinion seems to be that we
should deal rather roughly with the sparrow, but I should very much like
to hear some gentleman say a word or two in his favour, if he can.
Because if this discussion goes out to the world without any adverse
comment, the sparrows no doubt will have a bad time of it. Mr. English,
have you anything to say in defence of the sparrows ?
Mr. English was afraid he could not speak much in favour of them ;
being fond of horticulture, he found them a great torment to the peas.
He went on to say that it was strange how easily they were deceived; he
had lately observed sparrows very busily gathering the petals of the
apple-blossom, and he found that they used the petals to line their nests;
it was clear that they had mistaken them lor feathers.
The Secretary read the following letter from Sir Clarke .Jervoise, Bart.,
dated Horndean, Hampshire, May 17th :—
" I see by the card which arrived this morning that on Saturday next
the subject of 'Martins and Sparrows' will be discussed. It may be
of interest if I nan-ate my own experiences.
" Some years ago there appeared in the ' Times' a letter from the
Rev. F. O. Morris, of Nuiiburnholme, near York, on the subject of
martins being in possession of the ' coignes of vantage ' at his house.
Next year the sparrows were in possession. The third year neither
martins nor sparrows inhabited the locality. This fact I believe I was
able to explain thus :—One year some martins built over my front door
and reared their brood. Then the sparrows took possession of the
martins' dwelling, enlarged the front opening, and furnished the nest
according to their taste with the various materials they are in the habit
of using, horse-hair among the rest. The second year, as I was dressing
in a room (on Sunday morning) opposite, I heard a great deal of
screaming, and saw the martins flying about evidently in great trouble of
mind. One of the martius in coining from his house had put his head
through a noose which he had made out of the horse-hair at his own
front door in attempting to restore the style of building which had been
altered by the sparrows. I got a short ladder, and liberated the martin.
The next year the martins declined to build for the sparrows, and there
were, therefore, no martins and no sparrows.
" I now observe that the same little game is begun by the sparrows in
a martin's nest of last year. I shall give the sparrows notice to quit,
and I feel confident the martins will then return. They can afford to
wait, as the present weather in this very dry county does not admit of
building material for martins' nests being readily found."
The Secretary went on to say that he was quite dismayed at the
severity of the charges brought against the sparrows. It must be remem-
bered, however, that the hawks, the natural checks upon the undue
increase of the Passerinae, had been in great measure exterminated by
the irrational, unprofitable, and selfish systems of game-preserving now
practised, and not until keepers were deprived of their gum could we
hope to see the admirable balance of Nature restored. To aid, artificially