THE SPARROW. 115 



their movements, it was evident that they earn- 

 estly entreated him to follow and to fly from 

 his present dangerous state. He seemed to be 

 impatient to obey their mandates ; but by his 

 gestures and feeble sounds, he plainly ex- 

 pressed that he was afraid to try an exertion 

 he had never before attempted. They, how- 

 ever, incessantly repeated their solicitations : by 

 flying, alternately, from the cage to a neigh- 

 bouring chimney-top, they endeavoured to 

 show how easily the journey was to be accom- 

 plished. He at last committed himself to the 

 air, and alighted in safety. On his arrival, 

 another scene of clamorous and active joy was 

 exhibited. Next day, I repeated the experi- 

 ment, by exposing another of the young ones on 

 the top of the cage. I observed the same con- 

 duct with the remainder of the brood, which 

 consisted of four. I need hardly add, that not 

 one, either of the parents or children, ever 

 again revisited the execrated cage. 11 



Sparrows are found in almost every variety 

 of climate, but only in cultivated countries. 

 Deserts and wildernesses they ever avoid. They 

 are found throughout Greece, and in Northern 

 Africa, in China and the East Indies, and also 

 as far north as Siberia. On the western coast 

 of Africa they are never seen ; not because of 



