54 NATURE IN A CITY YARD 



and pigeons occasionally descend and leave 

 their starry footprints on the white. Why 

 is it that the sparrows, which in other sea- 

 sons fight and travel in knots of three or 

 four, or go about singly, appear so often in 

 cold weather in flocks of a hundred ? Is it 

 that each is afraid the others will get some- 

 thing to eat, and he the thief! not be 

 on hand to fight his share away from them ? 

 There is a fine of one hundred dollars in 

 New York State for feeding an English 

 sparrow. It is not needed. 



Perhaps if we had more patience with 

 this rascal of a bird, he would exhibit some 

 respectable qualities. Anyway, he would 

 show character. There is no chance to show 

 that when one is being "shooed " out of a 

 doorway. Every animal has an individuality 

 as marked as that of a human being. Take 

 cats. Take all of ours, if you like, and 

 don't return them. But just take the case 

 of cats. Their facial differences are consid- 

 erable, when you look for them, and they 

 often wear a deceptive countenance. Our 

 Skimplejinks has a surprised and distant 

 aspect, yet he gambols out to meet me in 



