The Hedge Sparrow. 



159 



flesh meat ; it must be given moist. When able to feed 

 themselves, they will eat almost anything — bread, boiled 

 potatoes, vegetables, and seeds of all sorts ; as well as the 

 food provided for soft-billed birds, which they devour with 

 avidity. 



Distinguishing Marks of Cock and Hen. — The hen is half- 

 an-inch shorter than the cock, as a rule, and is, throughout 

 her plumage, much greyer and duller in colour, and more 

 speckled, especially about the head, neck, and shoulders, 

 the spots being smaller and more numerous than in the male 

 bird. There is also a difference in the manner and carriage, 

 which enables an expert to distinguish the sexes almost 

 at a glance. 



Song. — The song of the Hedge Sparrow is soft and agree- 

 able, and familiar to most people who have lived in the 

 country, or who frequent lanes and fields for a ramble, 

 for, in the spring and early summer, the bird is almost 

 incessantly uttering its well-known ''Tehude, hude, hude," 

 as it sits perched on a topmost or side branch of a hedge 

 or tree, moving its wings and tail in a lively and jocular 

 fashion all the while. Its song is short, but not at all un- 

 pleasant. The bird commences to utter it as soon as it 

 alights, and, when finished, generally bounds off to another 

 branch fifty yards away, and repeats its performance. It 

 is a lively, energetic bird. When reared by hand, Hedge 

 Sparrows will imitate the song of other birds, such as the 

 Canary, Linnet, and Goldfinch, and even attempt the song of 

 the Lark ; but they have not the compass of voice, nor the 

 execution, that is attained by either the Canary or Lark, 

 though they pick up and repeat many of their notes. 



Points to be Observed in Judging. — The Hedge Sparrow 

 is too sombre and mean looking to exhibit, hence it is 

 unnecessary to enumerate the points required in an exhibi- 

 tion specimen. 



General Remarks. — These birds will breed readily in an 

 outdoor aviary supplied with thorn bushes and shrubs. The 

 females have been known to pair with the Siskin, Greenfinch, 

 and Bullfinch, and there is, therefore, no reason to doubt 

 that they would pair with other varieties of the Finch 

 family. Mules have also been bred between the female 

 Hedge Sparrow and a male green Canary. 



