CHAPTER III. 
SPARROWS. 
“ T THINK,” said Miss Harson, “ that the best 
arrangement for our home birds will be to take 
them in the order in which they appear in the spring 
— that is, so far as this can be carried out.” 
“ But we have birds all winter,” said Malcolm. 
“ I've seen them in the woods often, and around the 
trees here ; and snow-birds, too : there are always 
lots of them.” 
“ Are those our dear little birdies that we feed with 
crumbs ?” asked Edith. 
“Yes, dear,” replied the governess, “ those and 
some others ; but we will leave them until we come 
to our regular winter birds. It will help us to re- 
member better if w T e keep them distinct, according to 
their seasons. The birds I wish to speak of this even- 
ing come to us regularly in the spring from a warmer 
climate, and those that are always classed as early 
birds are the song-sparrow, the blue-bird, the robin, 
the yellow-hammer, the phoebe-bird, and the swallows. 
To this last family belong the martins, whose pretty 
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