and SOUK' (iihcrs. iiu-liuliiii^' Uic beautiful fox-sparrow. These birds arrive in the 

 Far North as soon as the rivers are open, and to the gold-seekers, who get to 

 their drearv work with pick and spado, are like friends from home. Many a 

 homesick miner stops a moment to listen to their clear, ringing songs, almost 

 alwavs in the rising inflection, as if a question were asked. And for answer, the 

 man who sometimes would "give all the gold he ever saw'' for one glimpse of 

 home, draws his sleeve across his eyes. 



Some of the sparrows which nest in Alaska use pitre w^iite ]:)tarmigan feathers 

 for nest-lining; while their cousins in- the east, on the opposite side, breeding 

 in Labrador, use eiderdown. In these far northern latitudes these birds scratch 

 in the moss and dead leaves of summer-time, often coming to ice at the depth 

 of three or four inches. The summers are so short that insect life is very scarce, 

 excepting the mosquitoes. But there are berries! And an occasional hunter's or 

 goldseeker's cabin always furnishes meals at short notice. Men may pass the 

 birds at home in civilization with scarcely a thought ; but when aw^ay and alone, 

 the presence of a bird they have knov.n in other climes brings them to their senses. 

 It is then they recognize the fact that birds are their comrades and friends, to be 

 cherished and fed, not always hunted and eaten. 



On account of the distribution of sparrows the world over, many legends 

 have been written of them. The very earliest we have read is the one that 

 assures us the sparrow w^as seen by Mother Eve in the Garden of Eden, on the 

 day she ate of the forbidden fruit. In fact, the "tree" was full of sparrow^s 

 warning the woman not to eat, though the birds themselves were making for the 

 fruit Avith might and main. 



In the story of Joseph it is recorded that the "chief baker" had a dream. 

 In his dream he bore three baskets on his head. . In the uppermost basket w-ere 

 all kinds of "bakemeats for the king." While the baker was walking to the palace 

 with the baskets on his head the sparrows came and ate all the meat there was in 

 the upper basket. 



In the narrative the name of the birds is not given, but the fact that they 

 "ate up the meat," going in at the little wuckerw^ork spaces, leads us to believe 

 they were sparrow^s. It was only a dream; but people dream their waking 

 thoughts and habits. It is supposed that this chief baker was fond of birds, and 

 it was customary for him to feed them on the king's victuals. 



Weil, the king is no ])oorer off now that the birds had their fill. .\nd we 

 wish peace to the soul of the baker for his kindness. 



In the ballad of the "Babes in the Wood" it was the sparrow who made 

 the fatal mistake which took off Cock Robin before the wedding feast was over. 

 Poor sparrow ! He has never beeen known to carry a bow and arrow under his 

 coat from that day to this. Thinking of that old ballad, we have often watched 

 the robins and the sparrows together, and are never able to make out that the 

 robin holds any grudge against his ancient friend and guest who made the blunder. 



In nearly all the markets of the Old World sparrows have been sold as 



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