ae >The House Sparrow. 

said to stand sentinel, and keep more or less constant _ 
cuard. 
Again, when these birds have young, they are con- 
stantly on the forage for suitable food for their offspring, 
and as this must be something easy of digestion, and 
at the same time nourishing, caterpillars form the 
ereater part of their diet. So we see this bird, which 
builds close to our houses, visits our gardens to clear | 
off the destructive creatures abounding there, by this 
means conferring a creat benefit and contributing to 
the general good. But all or most of our farmers | 
cannot see this—or, seeing it, will not admit it. Do 
they not complain sadly of their crops if not so 
good as they might be? And it is a wonder if they 
cannot find a reason why their crops have not come 
up regularly in the middle of this field or of that! 
Have they not been brought up to farming? Surely — 
they ought to know why the ground looks bare there! 
“Qh!” says one, “I remember those plaguey sparrows 
played away finely at this field, and that’s the result!” © 
Not quite so sure, however, gentle reader! There 
is a different colouring belonging to the picture, when 
your green spectacles have been laid aside. For it so 
happens, House Sparrows prefer being close to the 
