Sparrow Row 159 



feed the children, but not because he liked it. I could see 

 It was not in a cock-sparrow to nurse children. He liked 

 fighting better, and between meals, even If he only had a 

 moment to spare, he would spend It In fighting with the 

 neighbors. He would drop down suddenly In the street 

 in the midst of a crowd of sparrows and pitch Into the 

 nearest by jerking at a tail or wing feather. For a mo- 

 ment the dust and feathers would fly, and the victor would 

 sputter around with his wings drooping and his tall up. 

 Then away he would go, fluttering off, foraging for fruit 

 and bugs. He returned, dusty and dirty, every few min- 

 utes with morsels of food. 



It Is always a wonder to me that more of these street 

 sparrows are not killed as they hop and flutter about the 

 hoofs of the horses and in front of the cars. Half the 

 time they seem to see how close they can miss getting 

 hit, and off they flutter in sidelong flight, as if hardly able 

 to rise. But the sparrow knows the ways of the city like 

 a newsboy, and he is safer down amid the clatter of the 

 wheels than his cousins are in the woods and fields. 



THE SPARROW AND FINCH FAMILY 



The Fringillidae, or Finch and Sparrow family is our largest family 

 of birds. As a rule, they are plainly dressed in dull colors, and sing 

 well. The average length is six or seven inches. This class of birds is 

 known as seed-eaters and can be recognized by their stout conical bills, 

 but they also live largely on cutworms, caterpillars, and other insects. 

 The sexes are generally alike. With the English sparrow in mind as 

 a type, other members of the family should be readily recognized. 



English Sparrow {Passer domesticus). House Sparrow, Street Gamin, 

 Tramp: Male, upper parts ashy-gray, streaked with black and brown; 

 black patch about eyes and on throat, rest of under parts grayish; red- 



