SPARROWS. 221 



view of enticing them down, of which they soon availed them- 

 selves ; and, after eating heartily, again returned to the mast- 

 head. By the time the vessel had been two days at sea they 

 became much more familiar, and descended boldly for the pur- 

 pose of feeding. The voyage was a long one, lasting for some 

 days ; when, on reaching the river Tyne, to which they were 

 bound, the nest with four young ones was carefully taken down, 

 and being put, in the presence of the old birds, into the crevice 

 of a ruined house on the banks of the river, they continued to 

 rear their brood. 



While thus upon the subject of young Sparrows, we may 

 direct attention to the very rapid growth of their feathers in 

 hot weather. On the gth of August a young one was taken 

 from the nest with neither down nor feathers upon it, the rudi- 

 ments only of plumage being visible under the skin, on the 

 back of the head, and along the back ; on the side of the wings, 

 the shafts of the quills had just pierced the skin. Eight days 

 after, another young one was taken from the same nest, covered 

 with feathers, and able to make some use of its wings. Another 

 circumstance is worthy of notice. The old ones had adapted the 

 food to their powers of digestion. The stomach of the first was 

 weak, and filled almost entirely with insects, only one grain of 

 wheat and a few of sand being found. In the second the 

 gizzard was become vastly more muscular, and contained nine 

 grains of wheat whole, besides some smaller pieces, the remains 

 of several beetles, and some larger gravel stones. 



A Sparrow is not only bold with regard to men, but still 

 more so, on particular occasions, towards other birds. On the 

 hedge of a certain lawn grew a close thick bush. On this lawn, 

 amongst others, the Blackbird used to come and forage for 

 worms. One day a person happened to be looking at a Black- 

 bird in the act of making off with a prize, when a Sparrow, 

 darting from the thick bush, instantly assailed the Blackbird, 

 and compelled him to drop the worm, of which he took im- 

 mediate possession. So singular a circumstance induced the 

 observer to look out now and then when Blackbirds came, and 

 he frequently saw the same piratical practice adopted by the 

 Sparrow, who thus, by keeping watcli in his bush, was enabled 



