It appears from the record herewith presented that the credit of being the first in this country to foresee and predict the evil to result from the introduction of sparrows into America belongs to Dr. Charles Pickering. This article may be regarded as the entering-wedge; and as such it is entitled to special consideration. It was not, however, until 1874 that the controversy was fairly opened, though in the mean time several American writers ventured to express their apprehensions, and to give warnings which passed unheeded. Cf., e.g., Bruce, Amer. Nat. vi. 1872, pp. 469, 470; Coues, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, p. 146.
That they are not efficient destroyers of insects, but that they do drive away native birds.
The opening of the controversy on the part of Dr. Brewer. 'I regret very much that a naturalist generally so well informed as Dr. Coues should aid in giving what my own observations compel me to believe to be an altogether wrong statement in regard to the house-sparrow, published in the July number of the Naturalist. … I submit that this is too important a question to be thus dismissed, especially by a gentleman like Dr. Coues, who has enjoyed no opportunity of knowing from his own observations whether the opinions he is so free to express are well founded or not. The statement of Mr. Gentry I entirely discredit.' Dr. Brewer's own observations and opinions follow.
