SPARROWS, WAGTAILS, AND PIPITS 195 



recognise the friendly nature of the transaction. 

 But to feed sparrows is to "throw pearls before 

 swine," for, no matter how long and regularly 

 they may have been cared for, they never cease 

 to regard the acquisition of a meal as a theft 

 successfully carried out by their own slimness and 

 at the expense of the donor's imbecility. 



Like so many other gregarious animals in India, 

 sparrows seem to be occasionally subject to destruc- 

 tive epidemics, causing a large, though temporary 

 reduction in their numbers. The town and suburbs 

 of Calcutta are usually peopled by throngs of 

 sparrows ; but in the years 1895-6 they fell away 

 greatly in numbers, and were, for a time, so rare 

 that, even when carefully looked for, it was only 

 at wide intervals that one or two were to be met 

 with during the course of long walks and drives 

 through their favourite haunts. Before I left the 

 locality in the spring of 1897, a perceptible increase 

 had taken place in their numbers, and at the 

 present time they are probably as abundant and 

 annoying as in earlier years. 



On some morning in the early half of September 

 the ear will be greeted by certain small keen notes 

 that have not been heard for many months, and 

 you will know that the common wagtails have 

 returned for the season. Two species, the white- 

 faced, Motacilla leucopsis, and the grey, M. melanope, 

 are for many months constantly to be met with 



