THE HOUSE SPARROW. 253 



logical gardens. They make themselves quite at home too, in the 

 company of the most gorgeous-plumaged birds. I recollect them 

 regularly breaking through the meshes of an aviary-net (merely 

 large enough to admit their bodies) covering over a high inclosure 

 in which a number of golden pheasants were kept, that they 

 might partake of their food. Cock- sparrows quite gain on one's 

 affections by the assiduity with which they feed their progeny. 

 I have frequently observed them on the highway and streets, at- 

 tended by some of their young, generally three in number, winch, 

 with quivering wings, besought and followed them for food, and 

 never in vain. The parents too, by their fine erect carriage at 

 such times, evidently showed much pride in their progeny. 



The sparrow, though not an early rising bird, is awake betimes, 

 and as a colony will keep chattering for perhaps an hour about 

 their roosting-place before retiring for the night, so do they in the 

 morning make known their ' ' whereabouts " by the same means, 

 some time before they show themselves to the day : — on the 11th 

 of June, and a few mornings previously, I once noted, that on 

 awakening at ten minutes past three o'clock, a colony of these 

 birds frequenting the ivy which covered a town-house, were heard 

 loudly chattering, and that for half an hour afterwards none 

 stirred out.* 



The proprietor of the nearest fields of grain to Belfast, in one 

 direction (about a mile distant), complains loudly against hosts of 

 town sparrows attacking his ripening crops. They go there early 

 in the morning, and after satisfying their appetites at his expense, 

 return to spend the day in town. In our own garden, these 



* The entire note may perhaps he worth insertion. — Belfast, June the Wth, 1832. 

 At ten minutes past 3 o'clock, sparrows chattering vociferously in their ivied dwell- 

 ing, hut none stirring out until forty minutes after that hour : — forty-five minutes 

 past 3, jack-daws coming from the country, arrive on the town chimneys : — forty- 

 seven minutes past 3, canary-finch in the house commences singing, aud cocks in the 

 neighbouring yards crowing. At a quarter past 4, the American grey squirrel in the 

 house heard breaking his morning repast of almonds. At forty-five minutes past 4, 

 sparrows still " chaffing " in the ivy, — implying that some have not yet stirred out. 

 May the Ylth, 1846. — I heard sparrows in London beginning to chirp at half-past 

 3, a. M. Remarked them some days after (several at a time) washing in St. James' 

 Park ; so that dirty as the London sparrows look, they do perform their ablutions : I 

 never saw birds more thoroughly wet themselves. 



