76 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



aroused. If you use Paris green or London purple instead 

 of white arsenic, the birds will generally not touch the 

 poisoned grain, on account of its suspicious color. Does 

 this speak well for their intelligence? 



Nesting places. Martin houses, wren boxes, holes of bank 

 swallows, ready corners, and holes about buildings and 

 bridges are preferred ; but when these cannot be had, the 

 sparrow at once rises to the occasion, and builds on trees 

 and in vines. I have found about a hundred nests under a 

 wooden bridge in St. Paul, Minn. In this section of the 

 country, they begin nest-building in March or April, and 

 hatch several broods during the summer. 



In Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, where the house 

 sparrow has also been introduced, it has proved about as 

 much of a nuisance as in the United States. 



When we consider that this little bird is truly omnivorous ; 

 that its courage and pugnacity lead it to make excellent use 

 of its stout bill and strong claws ; that it can acclimatize 

 itself in all temperate regions of the earth ; that it can build 

 its nest anywhere and out of anything ; that it is a prolific 

 breeder ; that it is possessed of great intelligence to recog- 

 nize danger and of no less cunning to avoid it, we must 

 perceive at once, how exceptionally well it is equipped in the 

 struggle for existence, and why it has become almost cosmo- 

 politan. 



35. The Bat. 



MATERIAL : Any bat found in your region. The animal alive in a 

 trap, or a picture of it. Previously observed : How bats fly about in 

 the evening, how they rest, etc. 



To the animals which are quite common and still but 

 little known belong the different species of bats which 

 inhabit the United States and Canada. 



Observations. Why will some greenhouse plants not do well in your 

 home? 



