NATURAL HISTORY. 289 



PASSER. (Lat. a Sparrow.) 



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Domesticus (Lat. domestic), the House Sparrow. 



The courageous, impudent, quarrelsome SPARROW is so 

 well known as to need no description. When pressed by cold 

 in the winter, there are few who have not seen this little 

 bird come to the window, expecting his donation of crumbs. 

 It is very fond of grain of various kinds, and does some 

 damage to the former, but the destruction of caterpillars by 

 the bird more than compensates for the loss of the grain. 

 The little impertinent bird has no scruple in perching on the 

 pig's trough, and partaking of his dinner, or in mixing with 

 fowl and taking its share of their provisions, and on a newly 

 thatched house it absolutely revels. Dozens of sparrows may 

 be seen pecking and pulling at the straws in high enjoyment. 

 I was once watching a flock of sparrows on a newly thatched 

 barn, hopping, pecking and scrambling in perfect happiness, 

 when suddenly a sharp twitter w r as heard, and the whole body 

 hastily adjourned to a tree close by, making a prodigious 

 chattering. Presently I saw appear, over the ridge of the 

 house, the head of a cat, who had walked up the thatcher's 



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