AMONG THE WHEAT. 145 



natural enemies, the Hawks, we remove one of the 

 greatest checks to his increase ; and by affording 

 him such shelter in towns and villages, and such a 

 regular and constant supply of food, we keep up 

 to its full strength the army of Sparrows which 

 come down every summer to the corn-fields and 

 gardens surrounding them. Great as is the 

 Sparrow's increase, I do not think farmers and 

 gardeners would suffer one tithe of the loss from 

 this bird if they would protect the Sparrowhawk. 

 As things are now, the Sparrow has undisturbed 

 possession of the fields not a Hawk is left in 

 many districts, and the criminals flourish because 

 the police are withdrawn. Half-a-dozen Hawks 

 would keep the Sparrows in bounds, even in the 

 worst infected districts, and save many an acre of 

 grain from the serious threshing it receives from 

 these troublesome birds. The House Sparrow has 

 greater powers of adapting itself to circumstances 

 than any other bird ; herein lies the secret of its 

 enormous increase. Large villages and towns are 

 the chief nurseries of the House Sparrow, where, 

 unmolested, it is allowed to bring up brood after 

 brood for nearly nine months every year, the vast 

 numbers of young birds descending in due course 

 upon the nearest fields of grain. It has been said 

 that the House Sparrow is increased in numbers 

 by migrants, but such is not the case ; and the 

 vast flocks we see upon the fields are caused 

 merely by local movements from villages and 

 towns to the country districts. The damage these 



