20 SPARROWS. 



the purpose of feeding. The voyage was a long one, 

 lasting for some days, when, on reaching the river 

 Tyne, to which they were bound, the nest, with four 

 young ones, was carefully taken down, and being 

 put, in the presence of the old birds, into the cre- 

 vice of a ruined house, on the banks of the river, 

 they continued to rear their brood. 



When thus upon the subject of young Sparrows, 

 we may direct attention to the very rapid growth of 

 their feathers in hot weather. On the ninth of 

 August, a young one was taken from a nest, with 

 neither down nor feathers upon it, the rudiments 

 only of plumage being visible under the skin, on the 

 back of the head, and along the back; on the sides 

 of the wings, the shafts of the quills had just pierced 

 the skin. Eight days after, another young one was 

 taken from the same nest, covered with feathers, 

 and able to make some use of its wings. Another 

 circumstance is worthy of notice. The old ones had 

 adapted the food to their powers of digestion. The 

 stomach of the first was weak, and filled almost en- 

 tirely with insects, only one grain of wheat, and a 

 few of sand found. In the second, the gizzard was 

 become vastly more muscular, and contained nine 

 grains of wheat whole, besides some smaller pieces, 

 the remains of several beetles, and some larger 

 gravel-stones. 



A Sparrow is not only bold with regard to men, 

 but still more so, on particular occasions, towards 

 other birds. On the edge of a certain lawn, grew a 

 close thick bush. On this lawn, amongst others, 

 the Blackbirds used to come and forage for worms; 

 one day a person happened to be looking at a Black- 



