HOUSE SPARROW AND TREE SPARROW. 181 



of a tree or amongst ivy, the outside of the structure is 

 made of dry grass and straws, and lined with feathers in 

 abundance, pieces of rag, scraps of worsted, or any 

 other soft materials the birds can secure. Under the 

 eaves, and in holes of trees, rocks, or walls, the nest is 

 more carelessly put together, and much of the dry grass 

 and straw is dispensed with. Sometimes we see the 

 Sparrow fly down from the house-top and alight in the 

 busy street, and fly back with a straw ten times as long 

 as itself, and convey it under the eaves, probably leaving 

 half of it to flutter in the breeze, for a slovenly bird is 

 the Sparrow with regard to its nest. 



The eggs vary considerably : some are almost white 

 and spotless, others are blotched with rich brown mark- 

 ings, while many are spotted and blotched with brownish- 

 black ; others resemble those of the Pied Wagtail. They 

 are four or five in number. The Sparrow often sits upon 

 its first egg as soon as laid, hence we often find newly- 

 laid eggs and eggs partly developed in the same nest. 

 When the young are able to fly, and in some instances 

 even before, they accompany their parents to the hedge- 

 rows, that is to say, those Sparrows hatched in the 

 country, where they feed on insects found on the grass 

 lands, and on the seeds of grasses and other plants. 

 This mode of living is adopted until the corn-fields put 

 on their darkening tints, sure sign of the ripening grain, 

 when the Sparrows leave the grass lands and subsist 

 entirely on the corn and oats, very often to the serious 

 loss of the farmer. 



So immense are some of these flocks of Sparrows in 

 the months of July and August, that many persons are 

 led to suppose that the greater part of these birds are 

 migrants. If we visit the towns at this season of the 

 year, Sparrows in plenty are seen on every side ; so, too, 



