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CHAPTER OF VARIETIES 



A male sparrow discovered them, and was extremely assiduous in sup- 

 plying them with food, driving the real parents away whenever they 

 attempted to approach. I removed them still nearer to the bazaar — the 

 sparrow followed ; at length I suspended them outside the verandah, 

 and he paid the greatest attention to their wants, chirping and enjoying 

 himself with the delightful task ; at times he would indulge himself in 

 calls very similar to those of a lark, and certainly far from being unmu- 

 sical. He continued his care of them for about a week, when, as they 

 were hanging out, a heavy storm came on suddenly, tore the cage off 

 the nail, forcing it along the ground for forty or fifty yards, and killed 

 them. — L. W. Clarke, Birmingham. 



Crows. — In October, 1825, on the island of Calabah, while sitting 

 one beautiful morning in a verandah, I observed a sparrow leading its 

 young ones ; a crow pounced upon it, held it between its claws, and 

 instantly tore it to pieces, &c, as would a bird of prey. When the 

 meal was completed, it began its cawing noise, and flew to the sea-side 

 in search of further prey. 



The audacity of crows is well known. At the Camp, near Poona, I saw 

 three picking a bone ; a vulture flew down to it and drove them from 

 their prize. Though they dared not contend with him for mastery, one 

 flew upon his back, another was endeavouring to steal the bone if he 

 should allow it the opportunity, and the third, in sulky mood, sat upon 

 a rugged rock, indifferent as to the result.— L. W. Clarke, Bir- 

 mingham. 



Hedgehog. — In the autumn of 1817 I was taking a ramble in some 

 fields adjoining Dosthill Spa, near Tamworth, when my dog discovered 

 a nest of these animals. I had sufficient opportunity to examine it, 

 and therefore could more readily vouch for the facts. In it were five 

 young ones, and the mother giving them suck at the moment, and 

 beneath it were about ten or twelve crab apples, as fine as ever I saw. 

 The entrance to the nest was similar to some of those formed by the 

 field mouse, in thickset hedges, for their winter habitation, being rather 

 underneath on one side, with a covered way to it among the decayed 

 sticks and leaves. To convince myself that the fruit had not fallen from 

 any tree in the vicinity, I examined the hedge minutely, and the near- 

 est one to the nest was at least twenty yards off. There was no 

 appearance of bruises on them to justify the vulgar belief that the 



