392 THE HOUSE-SPARROW. 



farmer himself, took a far more sensible view when the plough 

 turned up the mouse's nest — 



" I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve ; 

 What then ? Poor beastie thou maun live ! 

 A daimen icker in a thrave 



's a sma' request ; 

 I'll get a blessing wi' the lave 



And never miss't." 



A daimen icker in a thrave is only one ear of corn in 24 sheaves 

 — a sma' request indeed, for the good even they may do in the 

 wise economy of nature. I have often seen sparrows feeding 

 their young with insects and caterpillars. On May 20th, 1893, 

 I saw a cock sparrow with insects in its bill flying into its nest 

 in a hole in the Old Abbey wall near the Burgh School ; and 

 on going into the park I saw a lot of sparrows catching flies, 

 hovering about 3 feet above the grass and alighting until they 

 had several insects, then off to their young. I think sparrows 

 can count, for I have watched a cock sparrow bringing the exact 

 number of living caterpillars — so as to give one to each of his 

 brood, which put up their heads, while he stood on the outside 

 of the nest until each got one, then he went for the same 

 number again. On June 8th, 1887, I saw two broods on a 

 rowan tree near Kinbum Place — one of the broods had three 

 cocks and three hens. The old cock fed them with small, 

 bright, green caterpillars, which were abundant — w T hat struck 

 me was the abundance of the caterpillars — and that the young 

 cocks had the same markings as the old cock, which seems to be 

 the most assiduous to the young. So here is an instance of 

 young birds having the same distinctive markings as the old ones 

 before the first moulting. I was pleased to see this proof of the 

 sparrow keeping down crawling pests as compensation for the 

 rifled ears of grain. One day I saw several sparrows busy 

 amongst the buds of one of my pear trees. I watched closely, 

 and saw they were eating the small green caterpillars, which 

 that year stripped the leaves of fruit trees, as if blasted, and I 

 wished there had been more sparrows or fewer caterpillars. 

 This pert little follower of man takes or steals whatever it can 

 — like man stealing from his own kith and kin — for " on 

 November 10th, 1888, when walking past the old Castle, I saw 

 a cock sparrow with a large bit of bread in its bill alight on the 

 dyke, but as it saw me coming, dropped it. Another cock 

 having eyed and envied the tempting prize, quick as lightning, 

 flew down, picked it up before my eyes, and disappeared over 



