216 SPARROW-PUDDING NATURALISTS. 



latter, we find an account of a pair of robins, which built for two 

 successive seasons against the church bible of Hampton in Arden, 

 Warwickshire. " The worthy vicar would on no account have the 

 birds disturbed, and accordingly introduced into the church another 

 bible, from which to read the lessons." This is all very well, very 

 amiable, very " bird-beloving and humane," as Leigh Hunt would 

 say i but shortly after, the Rev. W. T. Bree, M.A. states, (without in- 

 dignant exclamation, or comment of any kind!!) " that a friend of his in 

 Staffordshire has half a score or more (of sparrow-pots) suspended on 

 pegs, in suitable places about his house and buildings. The sparrows," 

 adds our humane and intelligent informant the ( amiable naturalist,' 

 " take freely to the pots, and produce several broods in the course of 

 the summer ; and thus, not only are several broods of these predaceous 

 birds destroyed, in a season, but A GOOD SPARROW DUMPLING is also, 

 from time to time, supplied to the table !" 9v-< ; 



We should very much like to know the name of this reverend and 

 amiable gentleman's Staffordshire friend. Is he in the church? 

 Has he a family ? Did he ever build a house ? Is he too an C( amia- 

 ble naturalist/' or a pluralist on a small scale a clerical bon vivant 

 occasionally seen at the ale-house? Does he C( take freely to the 

 pots ?" Of what age is he ? How is our friend's health ? When is 

 he expected to " step below ?" In what latitude and longitude is he 

 to be found ? We are going down to the potteries next week, and 

 should like to see a man whose daring and original genius invented 

 such capital wall-fruit as sparrow-puddings. When does his ga- 

 thering commence ? Of course such a genius would not put himself 

 to the expence of plucking ; doubtless he knows the exact nick of 

 time when his nestlings are sufficiently fat for dumplings, and yet 

 totally unfledged. Does he boil every brood in their own pot ? If 

 so, we should respectfully beg leave to suggest an improvement; in- 

 stead of clay he might use paste, thus every pot would prove a pud- 

 ding, and he might save himself the trouble of twisting necks or cut- 

 ting throats. We can scarcely conceive how he contrives to protect 

 his eyes from the desperate bills of the parent-birds, in whose pre- 

 sence he immolates their offspring, over the sill of his back parlour 

 window : does he wear spectacles ? Why does not some enterpriz- 

 ing publisher bring out his portrait ? It would certainly sell. Wit- 

 ness the success of that of the young man who not very long ago 

 did something similar at Leicester. Suppose our Staffordshire friend 

 had been the worthy vicar of Hampton in Arden, against whose 

 church bible a pair of robins (f built for two successive seasons ;" like 

 that excellent man : " he would on no account have the birds dis- 

 turbed :" on the contrary, he would doubtless have " introduced into 

 the church another bible, from which to read the lessons ;" because 

 in process of time the dear little creatures might constitute the basis 

 of a most delectable dumpling. 



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