38 SP-AHROWS. 



himself a great musician, and who, when a young 

 man, possessed a Piping Bullfinch, which he had 

 taught to sing " God save the King." On his once 

 going abroad, he gave his favourite in charge to a 

 sister, with a strict injunction to take the greatest 

 care of it. On his return, one of his first visits was 

 to her, when she told him that the poor little hird 

 had been long in declining health, and was at that 

 moment very ill. Sir William, full -of sorrow, went 

 into the room where the cage was; and, opening the 

 door, put in his hand, and spoke to the bird. The 

 bird remembered his voice, opened its eyes, shook 

 its feathers, staggered on to his finger, piped " God 

 save the King," and fell dead! 



It is often remarked, What impudent birds are 

 London Sparrows! and not without reason. Born 

 and bred in the bustle of the town, they must 

 either live and jostle with the crowd, or look down 

 from the house-tops and die of hunger. Naturally 

 enough they prefer the former, and every one of our 

 London readers will, w r e are sure, testify to the 

 cool intrepidity with which this familiar bird will 

 pounce upon a bit of bread, or some other tempting 

 morsel, which happens to catch its eye upon the 

 pavement, and with what triumph and exultation it 

 bears it off to its mate, seated on some window-sill 

 or coping-stone above, or followed, perhaps, by three 

 or four disappointed companions, who were a mo- 

 ment too late in seizing the spoil. Then, for his 

 nest: while other birds must select their own accus- 

 tomed spots, the similar tree or bush, the same 

 materials, &c., the Sparrow, like a bird who knows 

 the world, is everywhere at home and ready to 



