112 THE SPARROW. 



the home of his fathers, and the cradle of his 

 infancy. In the winter, when we scatter crumbs 

 for robins and other woodland favourites, whose 

 usual resources have failed them in their hour of 

 need, the sparrows come unbidden to the ban- 

 quet, and too often possess themselves of the 

 greater portion of the feast spread for others. At 

 all seasons they are ever at hand. In the fields 

 they devour the grain ; in the gardens and orchards 

 they attack the fruit ; in the farm-yard they rob 

 the wheat-rick, and share the provisions of the 

 poultry. At the same time, there is in their air 

 and carriage an appearance of audacity, which is 

 sometimes almost provoking, and at other times 

 exceedingly amusing. To give them their due 

 portion of praise, they certainly do benefit us by 

 destroying an immense number of caterpillars; 

 but on the other hand they devour grain in such 

 enormous quantities, as seems far more than an 

 equivalent for the service they do us in the de- 

 struction of insects. A French writer on rural 

 economy, has calculated that the grain con- 

 sumed by sparrows in France annually, is worth 

 ten millions of franks. We cannot therefore 

 wonder that farmers and gardeners wage perpe- 

 tual warfare with these pilferers. Indeed, there 

 are few persons who are disposed to grant them 

 protection, for while they render themselves ob- 



