An Australian paper says: "The sparrows are devouring the fruits of the tig in the neighborhood of Adelaide as fast as they begin to ripen. In some gardens it is next to impossible to get a ripe fig to eat unless the trees are protected by nets. Figs are not the only fruit attacked by the sparrow, for apricots and early plums are rendered mere skins. Berry fruits stand no chance whatever against their attacks, and there is the probability staring us in the face that, like the Melbourne growers, we shall be compelled to resort to extreme measures to secure even a moderate crop of fruit for sample; yet nothing is done to avert the evil."