LESSONS FROM AN ENGLISH SPARROW 301 



habit is to be seen in many other cities and towns, 

 for thus the birds gain mutual warmth. 



Nature will do her best to dimmish the number 

 of sparrows and to regain the balance, but to do 

 this the sparrow must be brought face to face with 

 as many dangers as our wild birds, and although, 

 owing to the sparrows' fearlessness of man, this 

 may never happen, yet at least the colour protec- 

 tions and other former safeguards are slowly 

 being eliminated. On almost every street we may 

 see albino or partly albino birds, such as those 

 with white tails or wings. White birds exist in a 

 wild state only from some adaptation to their sur- 

 roundings. A bird which is white simply because 

 its need of protection has temporarily ceased, 

 would become the prey of the first stray hawk 

 which crossed its path. [We cannot hope to 

 exterminate the English sparrow even by the most 

 wholesale slaughter, but if some species of small 

 Hawk or butcher bird could ever become as fear- 

 less an inhabitant of our cities as these birds, 

 their reduction to reasonable numbers would be a 

 matter of only a few months. 



So dainty in plumage and hue, 



A study in gray and brown, 

 How little, how little we knew 



The pest he would prove to the town ! 



From dawn until daylight grows dim, 



Perpetual chatter and scold. 

 No winter migration for him, 



Not even afraid of the cold! 



