12 THE BIRDS OF OUR RAMBLES. 



as it were, emphatically endorsing my assertion. 

 The House Sparrow is the one bird attached to 

 man ; he has followed him like a faithful retainer 

 all the world over. Indeed, the geographical 

 distribution of the Sparrow tells the story of 

 civilisation and the spread of colonisation, more 

 eloquently, more exactly, more concisely than any 

 other thing. And yet, in spite of his centuries of 

 residence at our threshold, and notwithstanding 

 his abundance, I doubt if any living man knows 

 the exact changes of plumage which this bird 

 undergoes between the nestling and adult stages 

 of existence ! And yet we are told that British 

 Ornithology is played out, that it is an exhausted 

 field ! Believe me, dear reader, we have yet to 

 learn more than we already know, concerning 

 even such a common bird as the House Sparrow ! 

 All the year round this bird frequents our habi- 

 tations even in the grimiest of cities, the noisiest 

 of towns, although a considerable movement 

 takes place in autumn, when great numbers leave 

 these situations and visit the grain fields. The 

 House Sparrow is one of the most gregarious 

 and social of birds, and lives in colonies of varying 

 size, according to the extent of the accommodation 

 offered, and the amount of food to be obtained in 

 the vicinity. It will be remarked that the note 

 of the Sparrow becomes more musical in February; 

 the birds are then about to pair, and will soon be 

 making love. I ought rather to say the lonely 

 and the young birds, for there can be no doubt 

 that the Sparrow pairs for life, and yearly uses 

 the same nesting-place, often sleeping in the old 

 nest at night all the winter through. The Sparrow 

 is one of the most prolific of birds, beginning to 



