AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 183 



and Cheshire. The food of this bird consists of 

 seeds of many kinds, varied in summer by insect 

 diet, as is the case with all the species of this 

 family. In captivity the Tree-Sparrow thrives well 

 upon canary- and millet-seed, and becomes very 

 tame. 



81. HOUSE-SPARROW. 



Passer domesticus. 



This bird is so thoroughly well known by every 

 one in town and country that we feel that any details 

 as to its habits would be quite superfluous. We do 

 not consider that Northamptonshire, or at all events 

 that portion of it with which we are most intimately 

 acquainted, is by any means remarkable for an 

 abundance of Sparrows, though they are quite 

 sufficiently common. I find that the Sparrows which 

 manage to get through the meshes of the wire 

 netting of a portion of the aviaries at Lilford soon 

 become so fat that they are unable to get out again, 

 though this is not the case with Chaffinches, Green 

 Linnets, and various other birds which also intrude 

 there. Though the damage done by these birds to 

 the farmer at certain seasons is very considerable, 

 and I personally owe them a grudge, on account of 

 the quantity of grain and seeds intended for other 

 birds which they devour, I am of opinion that they 

 compensate us to a certain extent for such petty 

 larceny by the amount of destructive caterpillars and 

 grubs which they destroy in the summer. The 

 present species is more or less common in most parts 

 of Europe which we have visited, with the exception 

 of certain parts of Italy and the islands of Sicily, 



