202 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



that they can obey his slightest movement, and even break up into 

 smaller flocks, and afterwards join together again in one. A flock of 

 starlings in the air, indeed, is like a band of well-trained soldiers, 

 so exactly do they keep time with one another in all their move- 

 ments. 



The mother starling is very fond of her young ones, and will 

 even risk her life to save them. Once a barn took fire, and it 

 seemed as if five little starlings, which were in a nest in the thatch, 

 would be burned alive. But the mother bird, after flying to and 

 fro in great trouble for a while, suddenly dashed through the flames 

 to her nest, took out one of her young ones, and carried it away 

 to a place of safety. Then she returned to the nest and rescued 

 another. And very soon the brave bird had placed all her five little 

 ones beyond the reach of the fire. 



FINCHES (Family Fringillid^) 



Missing the Orioles, Cow-birds, Weaver-birds, and their allies 

 we come to the great group of the Finches. 



This family embraces many well-known birds. We have only 

 to mention Linnet, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Hawfinch, Brambling, 

 Redpole, and Siskin, to show this. And when we add our daily 

 friends the Sparrows — House- Sparrow, Tree-Sparrow, Rock- 

 Sparrow, Canary, and Bullfinch — we at once feel that we are 

 among old friends. 



THE SPARROW 



In town or in country, who does not know the Sparrow? This 

 bold, saucy little bird may be seen almost everywhere, in lane and 

 street, in park and garden, in field and meadow. It follows man 

 wherever he goes, and never seems to live very far from human 

 dwellings, for it knows full well that wherever he is it will be able 

 to find sufficient food. It stays with us all through the year, too, 

 instead of going away to other countries, as so many other birds 

 do, for the summer or the winter. And so of all our British birds, 

 perhaps, we know the sparrow best. 



