From AVIFAUNA COLUMBIANA,
By DR. ELLIOTT COUES, and D. W. PRENTISS.
A very disturbing element has been introduced since our list originally appeared; namely, the European Sparrow. Though nearly every one—even among those who were instrumental in importing the pest—admits that we made a great blunder, all are slow to be persuaded of the enormity of the mischief these little creatures will work in the course of time. With this, however, we have here nothing to do; we only bring up the subject in connection with the decrease in the number and variety of our native singing-birds in, the city itself. This is a fact which probably every one has noticed, and which few pretend to deny any longer. It is not due to the building up of the city and the increase in the population, as some have supposed. The city is parked and preserved nearly throughout, and full of shade and ornamental trees. The actual number of trees is vastly greater than it was in the cow-pasture days of the ante bellum epoch; and there is no reason why those birds which ordinarily inhabit cities should not be at least as numerous as ever, or rather more so, were they not driven away by the sparrow. It would perhaps be more accurate to say, were they not crowded and elbowed out of the way; the impress made by the sturdy little foreign vulgarians upon the native population being effected rather by their numbers, their persistency, turbulence, and noisiness, than by their pugnacity or aggressiveness; though downright acts of hostility may be continually witnessed. In fine, there is not food and room enough for many other birds where sparrows are numerous.
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