My own personal observation goes to confirm the general opinion that these birds are graminiverous, and only sparingly insectivorous, mainly during the breeding season. Like animal life generally, they are governed by their environment. They go where there is the most food. I have often seen the suggestion made that we kill and eat them, but for myself I beg to be excused, for if I am not mistaken, over half their food is found in horse-dung dropped in the streets. The unmasticated grain therein seems to be just to their liking, and is mainly the food given to their young. This handy and ever present supply of food is the main cause of many of their habits, and the reason why they come from the country to winter in our towns and cities. It also explains why these birds are less insectivorous here than in Europe. We use more horses and feed them mainly unground oats, which are often found unmasticated in the dung ; and this further explains why these birds are fat and lazy, and breed so enormously. They are very cunning and wary. Nothing escapes their observation.

I have often thought that they were malicious as well as mischievous, for they slyly and clandestinely pick open the skin of my grapes, apples, plums, pears and cherries.

The pulp is not consumed, and they seem to have little desire for this kind of food, but peck holes in the skin, so that it rots and perishes, simply because of their naturally mischievous and evil nature. It is not only now and then a fruit or a berry, but they go all over the trees and vines, and everything that is getting ripe is tasted and left to rot. Our native birds seldom commit these wanton acts.

It will be seen, therefore, that the sparrow is a bird out of place, taking possession of a country that was better supplied by its own bird fauna, a usurper that does not meet the expectations of those who introduced it, a disturber of our natural economies, and a general failure. It is very generally remarked that our native birds were more plentiful two seasons ago than for many years. This again refers to the great storm in March of that year. Our birds are migratory ; in passing northward they found their old haunts left vacant by the sparrows killed by the great storm, so they have re-occupied their old homes. *

It was by man's aid that this enemy of our native birds was introduced, and he must aid in destroying it before we can expect a return of our own more valuable insectivorous birds. We must choose between this native and foreign fauna. This work naturally becomes the duty of the state. Individual effort is not equal to the work. Nor can we begin too soon, because our insect enemies that would have been destroyed by our own native birds already threaten the farmer's crops. It is not, therefore, alone a question of what crops the birds destroy. We are being overrun with intolerable insect enemies. The birds seem to come and go in an idle, unsettled manner, and fail generally to fill the useful purposes of our native bird fauna. - D. S. Marvin.