BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 123 



his inexperienced avian mind, was only one of the 

 huge terrestrial creatures of various forms, with 

 horns and manes on their heads, that move heavily 

 about in roads and pastures, and are nothing to 

 birds ^ But his foster-parent, a hedge-sparrow, was 

 suspicious, and kept at some distance with food in 

 her bill; then excited by his imperative note, she 

 flitted shyly to him, and deposited a minute cater- 

 pillar in his great gaping yellow mouth* It was like 

 dropping a bun into the monstrous mouth of the 

 hippopotamus of the Zoological Gardens, But the 

 hedge-sparrow was off and back again with a second 

 morsel in a very few moments ; and again and again 

 she darted away in quest of food and returned 

 successful, while the lazy beautiful giant sat sunning 

 himself on his cross-stick and hungrily cried for 

 more* 



This is one of those exceptional sights in nature 

 which, however often seen, never become altogether 

 familiar, never fail to re-excite the old feelings of 

 wonder and admiration which were experienced on 

 first witnessing them, I can safely say, I think, that 

 no man has observed so many parasitical young 

 birds (individuals) being fed by their foster-parents 

 as myself, yet the interest such a sight inspires in 

 me is just as fresh now as in boyhood. And probably 

 in no parasitical species does the strangeness of the 

 spectacle strike the mind so sharply as in this Britis h 



