75 
Sparrow, House- (Page m).-“ The.coiumon “ 
What a world of contempt is exprevicd with the 
this familiar bird's name! And . ‘i nnUv 
desiniclive ! " “ And such a nuisance, with his peipctiial noisy 
chirp/' I here is no doubt that the fb)cks of sparrows which y>it 
the fields of cut and ripening grain every aulumn consume a certain 
amount, and perhaps an odd bird or ^o df«s destroy 
in the spring. Hut, on the other hand, W bat of all the good the> 
do during a season?” The amount of grubs, caterpillars, beetles, 
etc., that a single sparrow destroys would do infinitely more harm to 
the gardener and fanner than any number of sparrows. I n proportion 
to his size, the sp.irrow h.is more brain than any other member 
of the feathered tribe. There is no question about his requiring ii, 
for his acu’eness alone saves him from the ever-threatening doom at 
the hand of his biggest enemy (and benefactor), man . 
The nesting-habits of the sparMw are familiar all. hether 
the nest is under a roof, in a hole in a wall, in thick ivy, in a 
haystack, or in a hedge, it is never difificuli to hnd and examine the 
four or five greyish-white eggs, spotted and sjieckled with varying 
amounts of black and brown. 
Swan, Mute (Page 40).— Although the swan is not, strictly 
speaking, a wild bird, it is nevertheless to be found roaming about 
during the winter in a perfectly wild st.ite. During hard or even 
very bleak weather the old birds, in addition to the unpaired young, 
collect to feed on the most sheltered and open waters. In certain 
favoured parts it is not an uncommon sight to sec twenty or thirty 
swans bu.Mly feeding here to-day, while they will be miles away the 
next day. _ 
It is a wonderful sight to see a flock of swans taking night. Un 
rising from the surface of the water, they circle round the lake two 
or three times until they attain a fair height, and tlien strike off in a 
straight line with their long necks fully extended. 1 he fii^t im* 
pres.sion received on unexpectedly seeing swans on the wing is ^at 
they are some species of birds flying ** backwards ! Their 
extremely long thin necks thrust straight out, wings far back on 
the large body, and apparently no tail, all tend to give something 
totally different from what we would expect from the stately swan. 
The swan builds each season a new nest, which is very large, and 
placed on a small island, or floats amongst the rushes growing on 
the w'aier's edge. It is generally in their third year that young 
birds start laying. Three eggs is an average number for the first 
clutch. In the majority of cases the clutch is increased by one egg 
each successive season, until in ihc fifth breeding seas«>n seven egg® 
are laid — this forming the usual number for an old bird. In some 
exceptional cases, however, a single bird has been known to produce 
twelve eggs in one season. Should there be a weakling in the brood 
of cygnets, the old male bird will kill and bury it, rather than sec it 
lag behind its brothers in developing. 
Swift (Pages 25-28).— The swift is the largest of the members of 
the swallow family which visit our shores annually. It can alwax*s 
be distinguished by its size and su^>erior powers of flight. I'he swift 
is of a dull black or brownish colour unrelieved by any quantity of 
while (as are the swallows and martins). It has very large eyes and 
a mouth that reaches "from ear to ear.” 
