BIRDS OF THE HOMESTEAD 49 



Shakespeare, too, is one of the authorities who has 

 assisted, in other passages, in fastening the most 

 unfitting title Sparrow upon a bird which is quite 

 without any of the qualities of the " avian rat." 

 Recent writers have attempted, in justice to an in- 

 offensive bird, to remove an epithet which, in view 

 of the hostility that the true Sparrow brings down 

 upon himself, must be regarded as injurious, in the 

 same way that the name " rat " is hurtful to that 

 most harmless vegetarian, the water-vole. They 

 have suggested that the word Sparrow^ should be 

 replaced by Accentor. This affix, in its turn, has 

 been challenged on the ground that the bird is not 

 an Accentor, and so this most un-sparrow-like 

 warbler remains the victim of an old-time mis- 

 nomer, which science appears to lack either the 

 courage or the power to rectify. 



One peculiarity of the Hedge-sparrow, noted by 

 Yarrell and others, is that it is liable to a singular 

 disease, consisting of a tubercular excrescence upon 

 the eyelids, about the base of the bill and on the 

 feet. This fact is worthy of consideration, for any 

 external disorder is rare in the case of wild birds, 

 although by no means uncommon in poultry, 

 pigeons and other domesticated species. 



The \\>en, too, is a bird of the homestead. Not 

 only is it familiar for its way of flitting, with a 

 sharp little cry, from one's feet, to alight pertly 

 with cocked tail and bowing breast, upon the first 

 coign of vantage, but it also attracts attention by 

 its habit of singing freely in the very depth of 

 winter. Although it may remain about the garden 

 4 



