THE HOUSE SPARROW. 151 



must have been carried for miles ; whilst some of the 

 straws tax their strength to the uttermost. Straw, hay, 

 wool, and feathers are, however, the main materials, 

 but they often will seize a stray piece of flannel or 

 old carpet, and give it a place in the nest. This is very 

 large and loose; but much depends upon the situation. 

 To their choice there is no limit, though whilst the eaves, 

 thatch, and water-spouts of houses and farm -yard sheds, 

 trees, iv}^ crevices in buildings and chalk cliffs, are their 

 general haunts, even martens are often ejected from 

 their homes, and many another bird has fought a battle 

 for the possession of a favourite spot; but the plucky 

 Sparrow will often turn even Starlings out of the crevice 

 or cranny of a house or church-tower. 



In this peculiar nest the hen lays generally six eggs, 

 which are especially varied in colour, though gene- 

 rally pale grey, streaked and spotted with blackish-brown, 

 especially at the larger end, sometimes forming a ring. 

 They will have three or four nests in the year ; so that, 

 despite the efforts of those mistaken institutions, '^Sparrow 

 Clubs,^^ the bird still continues as plentiful as ever, it' 

 indeed its numbers be not on the increase. Except for 

 those now generally defunct clubs, the cat is the Sparrow's 

 worst enemy, many thousands annually falling victims to 

 the wiliness of ^^jmss,'^ who finds that the ivy-clad walls 

 of houses make the most fatal traps for the birds congre- 

 gating there to roost. 



The food of the Sparrow includes almost everything it 

 meets with that is eatable. The reason of its systematic 

 destruction some years past was because of the harm done 

 by it in eating the buds of fruit-trees, notably goose- 

 berries and red currants. Somewhat like the Bullfinch, 



