LESSONS FROM AN ENGLISH SPARROW 299 



is alone, but when several other eager suitors 

 arrive, his patience gives out, and the courting 

 turns into a football game. Rough and tumble is 

 the word, but somehow in the midst of it all, her 

 highness manages to make her mind known and 

 off she flies with the lucky one. Thus we have 

 represented, in the English sparrows, the two ex- 

 tremes of courtship among birds. 



It is worth noting that the male alone is orna- 

 mented, the colours of the female being much 

 plainer. This dates from a time when it was 

 necessary for the female to be concealed while 

 sitting on the eggs. The young of both sexes are 

 coloured like their mother, the young males not 

 acquiring the black gorget until perfectly able to 

 take care of themselves. About the plumage there 

 are some interesting facts. The young bird moults 

 twice before the first winter. The second moult 

 brings out the mark on the throat, but it is rusty 

 now, not black in colour ; his cravat is grayish and 

 the wing bar ashy. In the spring, however, a 

 noticeable change takes place, but neither by the 

 moulting nor the coming in of plumage. The 

 shaded edges of the feathers become brittle and 

 break off, bringing out the true colours and mak- 

 ing them clear and brilliant. The waistcoat is 

 brushed until it is black and glossy, the cravat 

 becomes immaculate, and the wristband or wing 

 bar clears up until it is pure white. 



The homes of these sparrows are generally com- 



