the end of that winter, when he sometimes saw them picking about the roads. Two were killed near Blennerville, county of Kerry, the same season by Mr. R. Chute, who had known but a single specimen to be previously obtained in that quarter. In England, we learn as a matter of course, that they were particularly numerous during the same time:- Mr. J. Lewcock writing from Farnham on the 21st of April, 1843, stated that "this bird appeared in immense numbers in the neighbourhood of Farnham (Surrey), during the last winter, while for many years previously single specimens had only occasionally been met with.”* The Rev. George Robinson of Tandragee, informs me, that on the 25th of March, 1844, he saw a flock of some thousands, unmixed, so far as he observed, with any other species, in a beech wood at Elm Park, county of Armagh. They remained about a week there. Early in January, 1847, they were met with in the county of Longford. A pair of mountain finches, kept in a very large cage with other species, in a green-house attached to the dwelling of a relative, near Belfast, screamed so constantly throughout moonlight nights as to disturb the family, and consequently had to be expelled from the place. THE HOUSE SPARROW. Passer domesticus, Ray. Is common in Ireland. THIS bird is in some places much persecuted by individuals, who, knowing the injury committed by it on the grain-crops and in the garden, are yet ignorant of the great benefit conferred by its destruction of caterpillars, &c. A sparrow-destroying order given forth in our juvenile days may here be mentioned. An old soldier, who had been in the Peninsular War, was, on that account, selected from the farm-labourers as being of course the best shot, and with plenary instructions to destroy all sparrows, he spent day after * Zoologist, p. 188. day in going about the corn-fields for the purpose of shooting them. The report of his gun was frequently heard, but no testimony in the shape of sparrows was ever produced, by which he could be convicted of the shedding of blood. We spent one day with him. Whenever he saw that two or three sparrows had alighted together on the standing corn sufficiently near, which was by no means seldom, he fired at them. Often as he did so, not a bird fell, though how much of the grain was thereby sacrificed, we cannot take upon ourselves to say, for it could not be missed. The shooter would not believe that this result was owing to his want of skill, and more than once trampled down the grain to look after the imaginary fallen birds, which were in reality afar off rejoicing at their escape. When the wages of this sportsman, and the value of the ammunition he expended, together with the grain destroyed by him, are considered, there can be little doubt that the amount of damage, which the sparrows could have done (and nevertheless did do), must be trivial in comparison. Many well-attested accounts have been published of the destruction of crops by insects, in consequence of small birds, (sparrows in particular,) being destroyed for their pilfering propensities. When in France in 1841, I was made acquainted with a recent instance of this kind. In the fine rich district of Burgundy, lying to the south of Auxerre, and chiefly covered with vineyards, small birds had been some time before destroyed in great numbers. An extraordinary increase of caterpillars, &c., soon became apparent, and occasioned such immense damage to the crops, that a law was passed, prohibitory of the future destruction of the birds. The boldness and impudence of sparrows in obtruding themselves everywhere, are somewhat redeemed by the comicality of their manners. I was once much amused by observing one literally "dancing attendance" on a pet squirrel, as it breakfasted on bread in the wheel of the cage: the bird hopped about all the while, eagerly eyeing the squirrel, and picking up every crumb that fell. The freedom from all fear on the part of sparrows, is particularly manifest by their feeding close to ferocious animals in zoo 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, attended 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 11th, 1832. At ten minutes past 3 o'clock, sparrows chattering vociferously in their ivied dwelling, but 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:-fortyseven 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 17th, 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. birds were for a number of years very destructive to growing peas, almost living upon and amongst them, perching on the pea-rods, and with their strong bills, breaking through the pods to get at the peas, which they ate, just when in perfection for the table. But in the same place I have several times seen sparrows in chase of the large white garden-butterfly (Pontia brassica), whose caterpillars are so destructive; and have remarked them fly against the stem of the dandelion (Leontodon taraxacum) and weigh it to the ground, that they might feed upon the seeds. These birds sometimes prove very annoying, especially in lofty houses, by placing their nests in spouts, and thus stopping the course of the rain.* From a country-house whence their nests were for this reason always ejected, they resorted to the adjacent trees, and in them erected their large and untidy, though domed structures. For this purpose, the branches of the balm of gilead and spruce firs, which naturally offered a firmer, more level, and compact basement, than those of the deciduous trees, were preferred, and when the latter were resorted to, the larch-fir was generally chosen: the nests were chiefly composed of hay—a hay-loft being adjacent-and lined with a profusion of feathers. Its feather-bed nest, and habit of its sunning itself on our warmest days, evince the sparrow's love of heat. At this place they were much persecuted; above fifty having more than once been killed at a single shot. It need hardly be remarked, that sparrows frequently build in rookeries, as well as occupy the nest of the house martin. The latter is generally noticed by authors as a very dishonest proceeding; and though it is not my desire to be the apologist of any of the manifold errors of the sparrow, still, justice has not been done to the bird; for the "pendent bed" of the martin is generally tenantless when taken possession of, and the sparrow may have no anticipation of the rightful owner coming across the seas to claim the property. In like manner, the sparrow occasionally takes possession of the burrow of the sand martin before the *A lady in Manchester, in the summer of 1841, lost a piece of valuable old lace, which was left out to dry; on the spouts being cleared of sparrows' nests, it was discovered uninjured, partly lining one of them. vernal return of this species to the place of its birth; and perched at the entrance of its neighbour's burrow, the intruder certainly peers about, and chatters with as much confidence, as if the domicile were its own by "right of descent." But few writers on natural history would seem to have observed the sparrow in such situations. I have frequently done so, even when the sand-bank was in the close vicinity of trees and houses, the ordinary nesting places of the species. The following paragraph appeared in the Glasgow Argus, in May, 1846: "SEA SPARROWS. Last week, on the Aurora leaving the Broomielaw for Belfast, a sparrow's nest was discovered in the rigging, but the birds did not choose on that occasion to accompany their nest to the Green Isle. On the return of the vessel, however, the sparrows again visited their former abode, which had not been disturbed by the voyage, and deposited an egg in it, which attached them so much to it, that they valorously left their native land, and sailed with the Aurora for Ireland." A considerable time after this was said to have occurred, I had inquiry made respecting the circumstance. The mate of the vessel corroborated all from his own observation, except the statement that the birds had crossed the channel, but, he added that they might have done so without his knowledge. The nest rested partly on the sail and was destroyed, by its being unfurled, when containing one or two eggs. The vessel then sailed every second day from Glasgow to Belfast.* Examples of this bird partly, and some altogether white, occasionally occur; a friend has seen three white individuals in one nest. Mr. J. V. Stewart remarks, in his Catalogue of the Birds, &c., of Donegal:-"I have had a female milk-white sparrow in confinement for two years; it was of this colour when taken from the At its moults there has been no change in the colour of its plumage it has got the red eyes of all albinoes." nest. : Mr. R. Davis, junr., of Clonmel, mentions in a letter, that in February, * A representation of an unfortunate sparrow "hung by the neck," accidentally, will be found in the Illustrated London News of January 20th, 1844, and Yarrell's Brit. Birds, 2nd edit. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. v. p. 583. |