SPAEBOW. 
$8 
the top of the vessel’s mast, while the vessel remained in 
port. This occasioned no great surprise to the crew; but 
after putting to sea, the two Sparrows were seen following 
the sloop, and having come up with her, resumed their posts 
at the top of the mast. Crumbs of bread were scattered 
upon the deck, with a view of enticing them down, of which 
they soon availed themselves; and after eating heartily, they 
again returned to the mast head. By the time the vessel 
had been two days at sea, they became much more familiar, 
and descended boldly for 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 crevice of a ruined house, on the banks of 
the river, they continued 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. In the month 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 entirely with insects, only one grain of wheat and a 
few of sand being found. In the second, fche 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.’ 
Another singular situation selected by these birds for their 
nest, was in a thorn bush, stuck, as one sometimes sees 
done, at the top of a chimney, either as a preventive of 
smoking, or to check the ingress of any creatures; and 
although it happened to be a kitchen chimney, and smoke 
was issuing from it throughout the whole day, there they 
completed their works of nidification, incubation, and probably 
of education. Occasionally a hedge is built in. One nest 
has been found in a passage, where servants were constantly 
passing and repassing. 
I am informed by Claude A. Liilingston, Esq., of the 
