COCK ROBIN’S MURDERER 79 
be brown with sparrows. Thus the crow is not an 
unmixed evil. But, in spite of his natural enemies the 
sparrow is a very fortunate bird. His impudence and 
“push” enable him to find food in places into which 
more timid creatures fear to venture. His very com- 
monness is a blessing to him. It saves him from being 
caught and caged. 
A sparrow, as such, has no market value. It is true 
that he is sometimes caught, painted yellow, and 
passed off on some innocent as a canary. But even 
when this happens his captivity is not of long duration. 
His happy purchaser takes him home and gives him a 
bath, when lo! the homely brown begins to show 
through the dye. This is a sad calamity for the owner, 
but a joy to the sparrow, for it means his liberation. 
His little cage is opened, and he takes to his wings, 
chirruping with delight to find himself free once more, 
and vows that never again will he be such a fool as to 
be caught by bird-lime. 
