Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1914 — SPARROWS DEATH TO RATS [ARTICLE]

SPARROWS DEATH TO RATS

Birds Victorious In an Unusual War on Rodents at North Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth, Tex. —Many stories have been told of the prowess of rats in combat with othet animals, and the fact that one can kill a dog is well known, but the fact, that they themselves are warred upon and exterminated by the lowly English sparrow has just been brought to light At North Fort Worth the erection of three brick buildings, left a small court in the rear of one building with no outlet except the sky above. This court has for some timet been the playground of unusually big rats that are almost driving the grocers and butchers in that vicinity to distraction. English sparrows becoming attracted to this court wished to use it as a nesting place. That rata and spar rows cannot live together is a settled thing, therefore, the sparrows have decided that the rats must leave, and daily they are killing them off, In large number* - The sparrows roost on the topi of the buildings overlooking, the court and whenever a rat ventures forth to scurry from one hole to another a flock of sparrows descends upon him and in a short while they peck him to death, i