150 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



birds much larger and stronger than himself, such as 

 Starlings,, Jackdaws, and even Rooks. However, his 

 quarrels are mostly family quarrels, and invariably 

 originate in the question of the right of possession of a 

 crust of bread, thrown out by some kindly hand. His 

 well-known ^^ chirrup^' is at such times changed to a 

 sharp angry note, that almost defies definition, but is 

 known to all. 



Unlike the rest of the Finch tribe, the Sparrow has no 

 song worthy of the name, and therein differs most excep- 

 tionally from the Goldfinch, whose tuneful twitter, cul- 

 minating in a clear well-marked phrase full of metallic 

 beauty, and ending in a lengthened ^' tweet " uttered in 

 an ascending scale, is one of the prettiest songs possessed 

 by the Finches. 



The difference in the appearance of the plumage of a 

 country Sparrow, as compared with his town-bred cousin, 

 would be hardly imagined, the fresh bright plumage 

 of the one displaying the prettily- marked black, white, 

 and brown, whilst smoke and dirt hide the beauty of the 

 town Sparrow, so that it is sometimes difficult to distin- 

 guish the sex at a glance. The male, however, has a 

 brilliant black throat, and is otherwise more determined in 

 colour, the hen being especially deficient in the bright brown 

 of the wings and the chocolate mark over the eyes. 



The Sparrow invariably chooses its home near the 

 habitations of man ; and in early spring may often be 

 heard and seen fighting desj^erately for the possession of 

 some favoured female Sparrow beauty, who, with the 

 conqueror, at once starts housekeeping. The nest is 

 a m}'stery, and is composed at times of most extraor- 

 dinary materials, some of which, especially the feathers. 



