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THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



The poultry-keeper, again, does not like the sparrow because it 

 devours the corn which he has scattered for his fowls and chickens. 

 It is so bold, he says, that it will not be frightened away for more 

 than a minute or two, but comes again and again, as long as there 

 is any grain left to steal. It knows just when the fowls are going to 

 be fed, and is always waiting to come and take its share of their feast. 



Lastly, we are told, it turns swallows and martins out of their 

 nests and drives them away, and so prevents these useful birds 

 from killing the insects which often do so much harm. 



The sparrow, then, is accused of doing a great deal of mischief; 

 and there is no doubt that much that is said against it is true. But 

 let us see if there is not something to be said in its favour as well. 



Sparrows feeding their Young 



There is one way in which it is certainly very useful to us; for 

 its young ones cannot eat grain like their parents, but have to be 

 fed on caterpillars and grubs. These little sparrows, like all young 

 birds, are very hungry creatures, and all day long one or other of 

 the parents is seeking for insects for them, and bringing these to 

 the nest. And so, in order to feed their five or six little ones, they 

 catch and destroy nearly three thousand insects every week! 



A great many of these insects are very mischievous in our fields 

 and gardens. Day and night they are busily devouring our crops, 

 and, if the sparrows did not destroy them, they would do a great 

 deal of harm. By and by, too, they would lay hundreds or even 

 thousands of eggs, and from every one of these another grub might 

 hatch out to carry on the mischief. By killing them, therefore, the 



