Page:HouseSparrowHomeAbroad.djvu/23

Rh have repaired to their roosting-quarters in hay-stacks and the common ivy, immense numbers are taken by means of nets and bags suspended from long poles. From their bold and obtrusive character, combined with their exceedingly ravenous appetite, we should naturally expect that these birds would become a ready prey to the snares of the fowler. Perhaps, their remarkable wariness may, in a measure, be attributed to the wholesale persecutions which they have met with at the hands of man during the past.

Bewick, in his History of British Birds, in describing the habits of this species, says, "It does not, like other birds, shelter itself in woods and forests, or seek its subsistence in uninhabited places, but is a resident in towns and villages; it follows society and lives at its expense; granaries, barns, courtyards, pigeon-houses, and, in short, all places where grain is scattered, are its favorite resorts."

According to the Count de Buffon "it is extremely destructive, its plumage is entirely useless, its flesh indifferent food, its notes grating to the ear, and its familiarity and petulance disgusting."

Mudie says the sparrows are "voracious, and withal energetic birds," and "may be seen holding assemblies with a deal of noise and clatter." Usually a dispute or quarrel seems to be the cause of these gatherings. In these troubles, the crowd which has been attracted invariablly assists the strongest party. White, in his History of Selborne, briefly alludes to these convocations, and arrives at somewhat similar conclusions.

Yarrell contributes his testimony to the sparrow's pugnacity. After alluding to the early mating of this species, he says, "Like most of those birds which are