232 NATURE'S STORY OF THE YEAR 



night the birds find their strength and activity as 

 powerful in effect as money is among men ; and in 

 practically all the important events in the lives of 

 these subjects, these factors are respectively equally 

 prominent. They decide very generally the 

 destination of the most tasty and nourishing 

 foods ; selection of habitat ; and whether the 

 hunger of the heart can be satisfied. 



At evening a quiet observer may witness many 

 pleasing incidents in the roost-places of the birds 

 their careful reconnoitring and selection of the 

 warmest nooks. Pugnacious kinds, as the house- 

 sparrow, often fight before settling for the night, 

 and especially so in summer. When roosting in 

 great numbers in thickets the sparrow does not 

 seem to fight at all, but to join in a jovial chorus 

 before rest. This I often observed in a thicket 

 near Eltham. The number of the sparrows was 

 prodigious, running into thousands, and all slept 

 quite exposed to the weather. They evidently 

 believed that it was a case of " the more the 

 merrier," for any sparrow passing near would 

 arouse a chorus of call-notes bidding him descend ; 

 and generally the invitation was accepted. Star- 



