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Birds. 



THE SPARROW. (Passer domesticus.) 



THIS bird is, next to the robin redbreast, the boldest of 

 the small feathered tribe which frequent our barns and 

 houses : he is a courageous little creature, and fights 

 undauntedly against birds ten times bigger than himself. 

 Sparrows are accused of destroying a great quantity of 

 corn, and in several counties the landlord or farmer puts 

 a price on a Sparrow's head ; but the farmer is the per- 

 son most injured by the plan, as the good Sparrows, in 

 ridding land of caterpillars, more than compensate for 

 the loss of grain they destroy. Mr. Bradley, in his 

 Treatise on Husbandry and Gardening, shows, by a cal- 

 culation, that a pair of Sparrows, during the time they 

 have their young ones to feed, destroy on an average, 

 every week, three thousand three hundred and sixty 

 caterpillars. 



This bird is easily tamed, and will hop about the 

 house, and on the table with great familiarity. It will 

 feed on anything, and is particularly fond of meat cut 

 into small pieces. The song of the Sparrow, if we can 



