20 
SPARROWS. 
the purpose of feeding. The voyage was a long one, 
lasting for some days, when, on reaching the river 
Tyne, to which they were bound, the nest, with four 
young ones, was carefully taken down, and being put, 
in the presence of the old birds, into the crevice of a 
ruined house, on the banks of the river, they conti- 
nued to rear their brood. 
When thus upon the subject of young Sparrows, 
we may direct attention to the very rapid growth of 
their feathers in hot weather. On the ninth of 
August, a young one was taken from a nest, with 
neither down nor feathers upon it, the rudiments 
only of plumage being visible under the skin, on the 
back of the head, and along the back ; on the sides 
of the wings, the shafts of the quills had just pierced 
the skin. Eight days after, another young one was 
taken from the same nest, covered with feathers, 
and able to make some use of its wings. Another 
circumstance is worthy of notice, the old ones had 
adapted the food to their powers of digestion. The 
stomach of the first was weak, and filled almost en- 
tirely with insects, only one grain of wheat, and a 
few of sand found. In the second, the gizzard was 
become vastly more muscular, and contained nine 
grains of wheat whole, besides some smaller pieces, 
the remains of several beetles, and some larger 
gravel-stones. 
A Sparrow is not only bold with regard to men, 
but still more so, on particular occasions, towards 
other birds. On the edge of a certain lawn, grew a 
close thick bush. On this lawn, amongst others, 
the Blackbirds used to come and forage for worms; 
one day a person happened to be looking at a Black- 
