SPARROWS. 247 



injure them. A pair of Sparrows, which had built in 

 the thatched roof of a house, were observed to continue 

 their regular visits to the nest long after the time when 

 the young birds ought naturally to have taken flight. 

 This unusual circumstance continued throughout the 

 year; and, in the Winter, a gentleman, who had all 

 along observed them, determined on finding out the 

 cause. He therefore placed a ladder, and, on mounting, 

 found one of the young ones detained a prisoner, by 

 means of a string, or scrap of worsted, which formed 

 part of the nest, having become accidentally twisted 

 round its leg. Being thus disabled from procuring its 

 own living, it had been fed by the continued exertions of 

 the parents. 



An unfortunate Sparrow, who had also been made 

 prisoner in his own nest, met with a very different fate, 

 being actually killed, instead of preserved, by the over- 

 zealous kind attentions of his mate. The case occurred 

 in the Spring of 1818, in Surrey. The pair were in 

 search of a place for building their nest ; and the male 

 bird, finding a tempting hole among the tiles of the roof, 

 got into it ; unfortunately, he became entangled in the 

 broken mortar, and could not force his way back. The 

 female saw his situation, and after flying backwards seve- 

 ral times, twittering, and apparently in great distress, 

 attempted to pull him out. Several birds were attracted 

 by the accident, and came fluttering round, but were 

 beaten off by the hen Sparrow. She then redoubled her 

 own efforts to get him out, and seizing his beak above 

 the nostrils, with her own beak, pulled it so hard that 

 she killed him. She did not appear, however, aware of 

 the mischief she had done, but continued pulling at the 

 dead body of the unfortunate bird, with as much perse- 

 verance as if it had been alive. She was, at length, 

 driven away by a person who saw the whole transaction, 

 and with some difficulty extricated the dead bird. Its 

 head was dreadfully mangled, and the beak of the hen 

 had evidently penetrated the brain. About an hour 



