Stubborn Sparrow

In referring to the death of the last Dusky Seaside Sparrow, you say the birds "stubbornly refused to move" when their habitat was destroyed by developers ((NATION, June 29)). You make it sound as if their extinction was the poor birds' fault. Over the ages, those little sparrows managed to survive hurricanes, fires and floods. But they were no match for the bulldozers. It took nature tens of thousands of years to create the Dusky Seaside Sparrow. It took man little more than two decades to wipe it out.

David Wilcove

Silver Spring, Md.