The Sparrow. 177 



devices, such as pretending to be wounded, 

 endeavour to draw a supposed enemy from their 

 nest; but the sparrow stands alone as the bird 

 that will, as has been proved without possibility 

 of doubt, continue for months to feed one of its 

 young that, being unfortunately entangled in the 

 nest, has been unable to fly with the rest of the 

 brood. 



Its nesting in London is an unmitigated nui- 

 sance. No place is sacred to it. Wherever a 

 convenient hole can be found, there it collects 

 the heap of rubbish, always lined with feathers 

 if they are available, which it pleases to term 

 a nest; and not infrequently the hole in question 

 is the top of a water-pipe, the result being that 

 the first heavy shower not only destroys the 

 bird's prospects of a family, but also leads to 

 material damage to the property and temper of 

 its human landlord. If abused for the destruc- 

 tion and discomfort it causes it might, were it 

 possessed of the power of speech, and therefore 

 able to enter into an argument, retaliate, and say 

 " Why not do as your forefathers did ? " for 

 Rennie, who edited Montague's " Ornithological 

 Dictionary," tells us that in his time "he was 

 not aware that any contrivance was resorted to 

 in Britain to entice birds to build in particular 

 places, except in the case of house sparrows ; " 

 and then proceeds : " That in the vicinity of 

 London more particularly pots of unglazed 

 delf-ware of suboval shape, with a narrow 



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