HOUSE-SPARROW. 
soon collects a mob ol Sparrows, whose shrill notes rapidly draw the whole of their fraternity within hearing to 
the spot. Last winter I witnessed a most lively scene : at least fifty or sixty birds of various species had settled 
on the surrounding branches or were flying down and hovering round a vagrant pussy vainly attempting to 
spring to the top oi a wall along which wire netting had been stretched; every time the animal dashed at the 
wire (invisible owing to the overhanging branches) it was thrown violently backwards, being followed towards 
the ground by numbers of the noisy rabble. The animosity exhibited by a pair of Wrens, who were by far the 
most demonstrative of the party, was most amusing; with ruffled feathers these tiny mites fluttered, screaming 
open-mouthed to within the distance of a few inches, or perched, when wearied by their exertions, for a few 
moments on the twigs immediately above the object of their hatred, still giving vent to their fury with 
sharp cries. 
. 1Il0Ush Ovmcin o a partiality for the immediate vicinity of human habitations*, the Sparrow selects a 
\arioty ol situations in which to rear its young. So well known are the usual nesting-quarters of this familiar 
species that it is unnecessary to enter into particulars concerning their breeding-habits, which have been 
described by endless writers ; one or two facts referred to in my notes may, however, be worth recording. 
llie mud-built nests of the Ifouse-Martin are frequently appropriated by Sparrows, their rightful owners 
being turned out and driven to other quarters. These domiciles apparently possess a peculiar attraction for 
t ns species, and the rapidity with which they are again occupied after one pair of Sparrows have been disposed 
of would scarcely be credited. Early in June 1883 I noticed a couple of pair of Martins building under the 
eves ol a farmhouse m Norfolk ; no sooner were the nests (which had been constructed side by side) completed 
than 11, c unfortunate Martins were evicted. For a short time one or two would occasionally return and after 
circling round skim up to the nest, speedily beating a retreat when faced by the beak of an impudent Sparrow 
protruded Irom the opening. The old cocks were often to be seen sitting with their heads blocking the 
en ranees, which in both cases had been at once enlarged to suit the size of the present lodgers. As I was 
anxious to retain the Martins round the house, I shot down every Sparrow that entered the nests durin- 
the hours I happened to be on the spot, four males and two females being killed the first two days. 
I remarked on one occasion after a male was shot that the female secured another mate within an hour. 
, five-and-tvventy having been cleared off in less than a week, the nests remained vacant for a 
(Un or two ; as no Martins, however, put in an appearance to claim their old quarters, I left the Sparrows 
tor the future unmolested. 
In June 1872, while sheltering from a heavy shower under an overhanging bank on the roadside adjoining 
a plantation near Palmer, in Sussex, my attention was attracted l>y a Sparrow endeavouring to approach the 
spot with food, and turning round, a young brood was discovered in a nest placed in a hole in the chalky soil 
among the roots drooping through from the thorn-bushes above. Farm-buildings, thatched and slated lodges 
as well as ivy-clad walls being within the distance of a couple of hundred yards, the site chosen appeared 
remaikable. As the crumbling bank overhung considerably, a dark shadow was thrown on the spot where the 
hole for the nest had been scratched. Within a couple of feet of the entrance a Long-eared Bat ( Vespertilio 
auritus) was hanging from one of the twining roots. The hollow excavated in the bank measured about four 
inches across at the opening, the width of the interior of the cavity being an inch or two more in extent; the 
trance to the nest, of which only a small portion was visible from the outside, was placed exactly in the 
for tb ° t 6 ai “ re !“ ^ ° halk ' J lle b ‘ rdS ha<1 oonstmote4 tlleir cradle w ‘th the usual materials, employing 
pLes of“X” toh 7 ’ r ° USh SraSS ' "* """ ° f l ' 00tS - ^ a ™ ^ -d small 
neces^re torXet ^ duri “* at last, however, it became 
necessary to reduce their numbers, and several nests were lately removed from an ivy-clad wall in my garden 
I cannot call to mmd an in.tance of « nest being placed much more than a quarter of a mile from a dwelling-how. 
