188 THE SMALLER BRITISH BIRDS. 



"He doth follow us 



From spot to spot, amidst the turbulent town, 

 And ne'er deserts us. To all other birds 

 The woods suffice, the rivers, the sweet fields, 

 Aud nature in her aspect mute and fair; 

 But he doth herd with man. 

 Untiring follower! what doth chain thee hereP 

 What bonds 'tween thee and man? Thy food the same 

 As theirs who wing the woods, thy voice ns wild, 

 Thy wants, thy power the same; we nothing do 

 To serve thee, and few love thee; yet thou hang st 

 About our dwellings, like some humble friend, 

 Whom custom and kind thoughts do link to us, 

 And no neglect can banish." 



The Tree Sparrow is chiefly confined to some of the midland and 

 northern counties of England. Contrary to the habit of its more 

 plentiful relation, it seems rather to avoid the neighbourhood of towns 

 and villages, and to prefer wild hilly and mountainous districts. Both 

 of these birds feed on seeds and grain, but their depredations on the 

 latter are amply compensated by their wholesale destruction of insects, 

 especially when they are rearing their young. They breed several times 

 in a season, building rather rude and loosely-compacted nests, but 

 lining them plentifully with leathers and other soft materials. 



