THE SONG SPARROW'S APPEAL. 



Naturalists tell us that of all creatures 

 below man, the largest animal brain in 

 proportion to the size of the body is found 

 in horses and song-birds. Whatever 

 sense beyond instinct the little creature of 

 whom we write may have had, some- 

 thing, at least, told it that it could obtain 

 help at human hands. 



A little sparrow the past season en- 

 tered the kitchen of one of our country 

 homes, and perched upon the window- 

 sill in evident distress. Its feathers were 

 ruffled, and its head ever and anon turned 

 curiously around and up, as if looking at 

 something out of the house and above 

 the window. 



In and out it continued to hop, with- 

 out intermission, regardless of all offers 

 of food, until the shutters were closed at 

 twilight, and various were the surmises 

 as to the cause of its strange conduct. 



Through the course of the following 

 day the same scene was enacted, without 

 any clue appearing as to the cause of its 

 distress. 



At length, on the third morning, the 

 mute petition for aid still continuing, one 

 of the family, bethinking herself of the 

 bird's curious upturning of the head, 

 caught a new idea from it. Perhaps she 

 might have a nest in the ivy that encir- 

 cled the window, and something might 

 be amiss with its little household. 



Going to the second story and looking 

 down, the cause of the trouble was at 

 once manifest. A thick limb of the ivy 

 had become loosened by the wind, and 

 fallen directly across the petitioner's nest. 

 It was too heavy for the bird to remove, 

 and offered an insuperable difficulty in 

 the way of her getting in to feed her 

 young — now almost lifeless. 



The branch was quickly removed, 

 when the mother-bird, pausing only for 

 a brief inspection of her brood, was on 

 the wing in search of food. Her mate 

 soon joined her, and both were busy as 

 quick wings, worked by hearty good will, 

 could make them. 



Once only did the mother pause in her 



work — as if desirous to give expression 

 to her gratitude, she reappeared upon 

 the window-seat, and poured forth a 

 sweet and touching song, as of thankful- 

 ness to her benefactors. 



She returned three successive seasons, 

 to be noticed and fed at the same spot 

 where her acquaintance and familiarity 

 with man first commenced. 



We will add another similar incident, 

 which is also absolutely true. 



The correctness is vouched for by Mr. 

 George Babbitt, late captain on Gen. 

 Gresham's stafY, of which be himself was 

 a witness. 



During the fierce cannonading in one 

 of the battles of the Civil War, a small 

 bird came and perched upon the shoulder 

 of an artilleryman — the man designated, 

 we believe, as "No. i," whose duty it is 

 to force down the charge after the am- 

 munition is put in the gun. The piece 

 was a "Napoleon," which makes a very 

 loud report, and the exact scene of this 

 occurrence was at a place called "Nicka- 

 jack." The bird perched itself upon this 

 man's shoulder and could not be driven 

 from its position by the violent motions 

 of the gunner. When the piece was dis- 

 charged, the poor little thing would run 

 its beak and head up under the man's hair 

 at the back of the neck, and when the re- 

 port died away would resume its place 

 upon his shoulder. Captain Babbitt took 

 the bird in his hand, but when released it 

 immediately resumed its place on the 

 shoulder of the smoke-begrimed gunner. 

 The singular and touching scene was wit- 

 nessed by a large number of officers and 

 men. It may be a subject of curious in- 

 quiry, what instinct led this bird to thus 

 place itself. Possibly, frightened at the 

 violent commotion caused by the battle, 

 and not knowing how to escape or where 

 to go, some instinct led it to throw itself 

 upon the gunner as a protector. But, 

 whatever the cause, the incident was a 

 most beautiful and pleasing one to all 

 who witnessed it. 



George Bancroft Griffith. 



168 



