REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 



281 



birds in a greater or less degree, 

 some of one kind, some of another, 

 and the sympathy dates back to the 

 earliest days of childhood — that 

 bright and sunny time when our 

 little guileless hearts were brimful 

 of faith and love. Would that the 

 kindly sympathies, the simple faith, 

 the good seed thus planted in the 

 young heart, did always fall upon 

 good ground to spring forth and 

 blossom, and bear fruit in a riper 

 age — would that the fine edge of 

 such heaven-born love could never 

 be doomed to be turned and blunted 

 by the briars and thorns, the cankers 

 and cares, that beset the pathway 

 of a maturer life. The robin red- 

 breast holds so conspicuous a place 

 in juvenile literature that it is no 

 wonder he should be generally the 

 first bird to engraft himself in our 

 sympathy, nor does the kindly feel- 

 ins: thus engendered suffer much 

 diminution in after years. Our 

 little red-breasted friend might 

 know that the world had made up 

 its mind to entertain a generally 

 favourable opinion of him through 

 evil report and good report, and 

 has accordingly grown somewhat 

 bold and impudent by the know- 

 ledge. He hops and perks about 

 our spade as we turn up the mellow 

 soil as though the work was going 

 on for his special benefit, though 

 much to the disadvantage of many 

 poor wriggling worms — he presents 



himself like a duly licensed pen- 

 sioner on the snow-covered window- 

 sill confident of relief — he will even 

 adventure himself beyond thethresh- 

 hold sure of a welcome more hearty 

 than many a poor relation would get 

 who dared *' just to drop in " in the 

 same familiar way ; he defieth both 

 wind and weather and whistles his 

 cheery song while the heavy rain- 

 drops beat time on the window pane 

 as the bitter wind howls about the 

 old homestead or moans a requiem 

 for the falling leaves. The times 

 are, however, somewhat perilous for 

 those little birds that have not been 

 so highly favoured as Cock Robin ; 

 and sparrow clubs, wise churchwar- 

 dens, the squire's gamekeejDer, and 

 my lady's gardener are telling sad 

 stories about them. Nearly the 

 whole feathered catalogue are set 

 down as arrant thieves, poachers, or 

 good-for-nothings. A little black- 

 bird writing to The Times complains 

 that he has been accused of stealing 

 all the cherries in a certain garden. 

 He denies the accusation, solemnly 

 protests his innocence, and recom- 

 mends *' my lady " to try a change 

 of gardeners, confident that the re- 

 sult will tend to his acquittal. That 

 letter is very significant and the 

 little birds may take some courage. 

 But what is a sparrow club ? Let 

 the Wiltshire Mirror answer the ques- 

 tion : — The annual account of the 

 Monkton and Brixton Deverill Spar- 



