SPARROWS AND OTHER FINCHES 65 



aphides, and I have seen a sparrow make 

 short work of a " daddy-long-legs." In 

 July and August I have watched them catch- 

 ing flies on the grass, running after them 

 much as a wagtail does, indeed once I 

 remember seeing a sparrow and a wagtail on 

 the lawn at the same time, each followed by 

 a young bird whose hunger they were trying 

 to satisfy with flies caught in similar fashion. 



Impudence is a marked characteristic of a 

 sparrow. I have seen a starling at work in 

 his busy, methodical way, closely followed all 

 over the lawn by a sparrow. There he was 

 all the time, close at the starling's elbow and 

 ready to pounce upon whatever dainty morsel 

 a skill superior to his own might bring to 

 light. The starling was plainly bored by 

 his company, but the sparrow would take no 

 hint, and maintained his position in spite 

 even of pointed rebuffs from the other's beak. 

 (In the dry summer of 1911 I noticed at 

 different times both a throstle and a blackbird 

 attended in the same way by a sparrow.) 



At another time when a starling has arrived 

 with food in its mouth, and not daring on 

 account of my being there to take it into its 

 nest, has begun, after the usual unwise 

 custom of starlings, loudly to advertise the 

 situation, I have seen two sparrows, attracted 

 by the noise he made, take up positions one 

 on either side and try to snatch the food away 

 from him. I saw this happen twice on two 

 successive days in June, 1901. 



