The Great English Sparrow War
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Controversy, Lawsuits, and Feuds
This chapter explores the controversy surrounding Madame Blavatsky's lawsuit and the newspaper's retraction after her death. It also discusses the death of theosophist Elliot Cows, his marriages, and the feud between Dr. Cows and Dr. T. M. Brewer, followed by a sponsor break featuring Lazarus Naturals and the Bedtime Story podcast.
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In the 19th century, a heated dispute arose over the house sparrow and its introduction into North America. Elliot Coues and Thomas Mayo Brewer held opposing opinions on the matter which they defended their entire lives.
Research:
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- Coues, Dr. Elliott. “The Ineligibility of the European House Sparrow in America.” The American Naturalist. Vol. XII, No. 8 August 1878.
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- Barrows, Walter R. and C. Hart Merriam. “The English Sparow (Passer Domesticus) in North America, Especially in its Relations to Agriculture.” United States Department of Agriculture Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy. Bulletin 1. Government Printing Office. 1889. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=ofwYAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA1&hl=en
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- “Zoology.” The American Naturalist, Vol. 8, No. 9 (Sep., 1874), pp. 553-565. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2448426?seq=4
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