68 THE HOUSE SPARROW. 



of excommunication, and whenever the opportunity is 

 afforded, should persecute them with a bitter hatred. 

 In the country, a similar complaint prevails ; but there 

 the mischief done to newly-painted cornices, pillars, and 

 window-ledges, is small in comparison with what is ac- 

 complished by these feathered denizens in cities. 



In concluding this rather imperfect sketch of the 

 sparrow, I cannot refrain from mentioning a few facts 

 gleaned from other sources. In the winter of 1875, 

 James Kirk, Esq., of Germantown, informs me that he 

 erected a rather capacious house with several compart- 

 ments, for the accommodation of these birds, which were 

 frequent visitants to his garden. Every encouragement 

 was given to them to build. Although the house was 

 put up long before the commencement of the breeding- 

 period, to my informant's surprise, not a single pair of 

 birds could be induced to take permanent possession. 

 Unable to solve the problem, application for a solution 

 was made to the writer. A little conversation with 

 the gentleman elicited a number of facts which, asso- 

 ciated with others that had come under the writer's ob- 

 servation, enabled the latter to solve the question. It 

 was apparent from the above conversation, that several 

 attempts had been made by different parties to build, 

 but owing to the unfriendly relations which subsisted 

 between them, they all proved failures. Others had at- 

 tempted it with the same results. Experience has taught 

 the writer that when houses and even vines are occupied 

 by birds of near kinship, but few if any difficulties occur 

 to mar the happiness of the occupants ; but, on the con- 

 trary, when different clans, so to speak, come together, 

 more or less jangling is the certain and unavoidable 

 result. In view of these established truths, I will be 



