THE HOUSE SPARROW. 
253 
logical gardens. They make themselves quite at home too, in the 
company of the most gorgeous-plumaged birds. I recollect them 
regularly breaking through the meshes of an aviary-net (merely 
large enough to admit their bodies) covering over a high inclosure 
in which a number of golden pheasants were kept, that they 
might partake of their food. Cock- sparrows quite gain on one's 
affections by the assiduity with which they feed their progeny. 
I have frequently observed them on the highway and streets, at- 
tended by some of their young, generally three in number, which, 
with quivering wings, besought and followed them for food, and 
never in vain. The parents too, by their fine erect carriage at 
such times, evidently showed much pride in their progeny. 
The sparrow, though not an early rising bird, is awake betimes, 
and as a colony will keep chattering for perhaps an hour about 
their roosting-place before retiring for the night, so do they in the 
morning make known their “ whereabouts '' by the same means, 
some time before they show themselves to the day : — on the 11th 
of June, and a few mornings previously, I once noted, that on 
awakening at ten minutes past three o'clock, a colony of these 
birds frequenting the ivy which covered a town-house, were heard 
loudly chattering, and that for half an hour afterwards none 
stirred out * 
The proprietor of the nearest fields of grain to Belfast, in one 
direction (about a mile distant), complains loudly against hosts of 
town sparrows attacking his ripening crops. They go there early 
in the morning, and after satisfying their appetites at his expense, 
return to spend the day in town. In our own garden, these 
* The entire note may perhaps be worth insertion. — Belfast, June the Wth, 1832. 
At ten minutes past 3 o’clock, sparrows chattering vociferously in their ivied dwell- 
ing, hut none stirring out until forty minutes after that hour : — forty -five minutes 
past 3, jack-daws coming from the country, arrive on the town chimneys : — forty- 
seven minutes past 3, canary-finch in the house commences singing, and cocks in the 
neighbouring yards crowing. At a quarter past 4, the American grey squirrel in the 
house heard breaking his morning repast of almonds. At forty-five minutes past 4, 
sparrows still “ chaffing ” in the ivy, — implying that some have not yet stirred out. 
May the Ylth, 1846. — I heard sparrows in London beginning to chirp at half-past 
3, a. m. Remarked them some days after (several at a time) washing in St. James’ 
Park ; so that dirty as the London sparrows look, they do perform their ablutions : I 
never saw birds more thoroughly wet themselves. 
