36 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



and are more commonly observed in foraging parties 

 of from two to half-a-dozen, subsisting in the more 

 open streets on what they can find on the pavements, 

 and particularly haunting stables, to pick up oats and 

 grass-seeds shaken from hay. We have watched 

 by the hour the devices of these sparrows to avoid 

 being surprised by boys or by cats. When they 

 discover a scattering of oats, they seldom fly di- 

 rectly to the spot, but take several turns around it 

 as if to ascertain the safest point of approach. If 

 it is near the wall they will cling, with their backs 

 downwards, to rough projections of the mortar, or 

 to an accidental crevice between the bricks, looking 

 round the while with the utmost caution ; and thus 

 will they descend the wall, by little and little, till 

 within a few feet of their wished-for prize, upon 

 which they will pounce down, one or more at a time, 

 and carry off a mouthful to the nearest roof where they 

 can eat it in leisure and safety. But what we par- 

 ticularly wish to call attention to is, that though each 

 individual of a party manifests such extraordinary 

 caution, they have usually the farther safeguard of a 

 sentinel stationed on some adjacent projection of a 

 roof-lead or a window, who fails not to announce to 

 his companions below the approach of every pas- 

 senger, and particularly of every cat that endeavours 

 to steal upon them unawares*. 



From all we have been able to observe, there does 

 not seem to be anything like an election or appoint- 

 ment of such sentinels. The fact appears rather to 

 be, that, probably from being less impelled by the calls 

 of hunger, the bird of the flock who chances to be the 

 last in venturing to alight, feels then reluctant to join 

 his companions in consequence of an instinctive 

 foresight that they might all be thence exposed to 



* J.R. 



