FORBIDS NESS LATE JUNE 103 
the easiest he can find upon the dustheaps 
and the road? But see here how the bird 
has studied to protect the nest. The leaves 
above form quite a roof to keep off the rain 
drops. 
This was no doubt a second or third nest 
(the house-sparrow builds three or four 
nests each year), at this late season, and 
hence the single addled egg. And when 
brooding time is done, with the result that 
more chirpers are added to the busy throng 
(for some at least of these will survive sparrow 
clubs and cats, and rats and hawks and - 
other dire foes), the old birds and their young 
will join the Sparrows’ Parliament that 
holds its noisy meetings in the autumn, 
amongst the branches of the lime trees 
over there, chirping out each evening before 
dusk the doings of the day, and prospects 
for to-morrow’s meat and drink, with ad- 
monitions to the youngsters not to be too 
cheeky in their acts of pilfering or play. I 
was very interested when in Montreal some 
years ago to see house-sparrows imported 
