HOUSE SPARROW. 475 



to the elaborately ornamented arcliitecture of the palace of 

 the prince, all buildings are alike subject to its intrusion. 

 The bird, however, that is reared in the smoky city, though 

 as bold, active, vigilant, and assuming as that to be seen in 

 the country, affords but a poor example of the colours that 

 ornament the bird when seen in the cottage garden, or at the 

 farmer's barn-door. 



Of a species so well known as the Sparrow a very length- 

 ened notice is not required : the history of the bird in one 

 country is equally the detail of its habits in another. This 

 is certainly the case with our Comm.on House Sparrow, the 

 geographical range of which, as a species, is very extensive. 



Our Sparrow pairs early in the season, and like most of 

 those birds which are very prolific, great animosity and nu- 

 merous contests for choice or possession occur at this season 

 of the year. There are few persons who have not witnessed in 

 spring the bustle and confusion attending what appears to be 

 a sort of battle royal among Sparrows, in which five or six 

 individuals are seen indiscriminately engaged attacking, buf- 

 fetting, and biting each other, with all the clamour and fury 

 of excited rage ; but the matter in dispute being adjusted, 

 each retires from the scene of contest to attend to his mate, 

 and the performance of the more important duties of the 

 season. Their nests are formed under the eaves of tiles, in 

 holes or crevices in walls, in the orifices of old water-pipes, 

 or in any cavity which will afford sufficient space for the 

 mass of hay and feathers collected for their dwelling. The 

 first batch of eggs usually consists of five or six, and two 

 other sets are frequently produced in the season. The eggs 

 are white, spotted and streaked with ash-colour and dusky 

 brown, varying considerably in the quantity of this secondary 

 colouring matter ; the length of the egg ten lines, the breadth 

 seven lines. 



Occasionally the Sparrow builds among the higher branches 



