8 
NATURE study. 
while the colors of the female are much plainer. This 
dates from a time when it was necessary for the female 
to be concealed while sitting on the eggs. The young of 
both sexes are colored like their mother, the young male 
birds not acquiring the black gorget until perfectly able to 
take care of themselves. 
There are .some interesting facts connected with the roost¬ 
ing habits of the Engli.sh sparrow. In a certain section of 
the city there remains a solitary tree from the forest which 
once covered all this “ pavemented ” land. To this, all 
winter long, the .sparrows begin to flock about four or five 
o’clock in the afternoon. They come singl}^ and in twos 
and threes, until the bare limbs are black with them and 
there seems not room for another bird; but still more keep 
coming until dark, each new arrival diving into the mass 
of birds, causing a local commotion. By seven o’clock 
there are thousands of English Sparrows perched in this 
one tree. At daylight they are off, whirring away by 
scores, and in a few minutes the tree is empty and silent. 
Mutual warmth is thus gained. 
Nature is trying her best to regain the balance, and to 
do this the sparrow mu.st be brought face to face with as 
many dangers as our wild birds, and, although owing to 
the bird’s fearlessness of man this may never happen, yet 
at least all the color protection and other former safeguards 
are .slowly but surely being eliminated. On almo.st every 
street we may see albino or partly albino birds, as those 
with white tails or wings. White birds exi.st in a wild 
state only from an adaptation to their surroundings. iV 
bird which is white simply becau.se its need of protection 
has temporarily ceased would become the prey of the first 
stray hawk which crossed its path, and if any enemy 
learned to dare to follow it into its haunts the species would 
become depleted in numbers in a .short time. We cannot 
hope to exterminate the English sparrow even by the most 
