The COMMON or HOUSE SPARROW (_Passer domesticus_) is well known to all
our readers. The mantle of the male bird is brown, striped with black,
the top of the head blueish grey, edged at its sides with deep chestnut.
The wings are marked with two bands, one white, the other of a rusty
yellow colour, and extremely narrow; the cheeks are greyish white, the
front of the neck black, and the under part of the body light grey.
The female is of a light brownish grey upon the head, whilst over the
eyes runs a pale yellow line; the back is light brown, streaked with
black; the whole of the lower part of the body greyish white; the young
resemble the mother until the first moulting season. The beak is black in
summer and grey in winter, the feet horn-grey, and the eyes brown. Many
varieties of plumage occasionally occur, some individuals being white, or
yellowish white, and some nearly black. The male and female differ but
little in size; both are about six or six and a quarter inches long, and
nine to nine and a half across the wings.
[Illustration: WINTER VISITORS TO THE VILLAGE.]
The House Sparrows inhabit a greater extent of country than almost any
other bird, being found over the whole of the northern portion of the
Eastern hemisphere; moreover, it is a remarkable fact that wherever met
with they are always in a state of semi-domestication: even in Australia,
into which country Sparrows were only introduced some few years ago,
they hold the same relation to man as in Europe. Few villages are to be
found in which these little creatures have not settled, and that in the
fullest sense of the word, as they never fly more than a mile from the
place where they were born, except when in search of a spot on which to
establish themselves. We are told by a Norwegian naturalist that these
birds are yearly seen flying about some parts of Norway in couples, going
from house to house, but that, not finding the country to their liking,
they soon disappear, leaving no trace behind. Our House Sparrow is social
in its habits, and even during the breeding season can hardly be said to
live apart from its fellows; the nests are placed very close together,
the males appearing to enjoy each other's society even whilst the process
of incubation is going on. The young join the rest of the troop as soon
as they can fly. During the whole time that corn can be obtained, or any
green plants remain, these flocks fly daily over the neighbouring fields
and plains in search of food, returning in the middle of the day to the
villages, where they rest, and in the evening assemble upon the trees
or roofs to make their preparations for passing the night--a proceeding
that is always accompanied by great confusion and much squabbling. In the
winter time these intelligent little creatures prepare beds or nests of
the warmest description, into which they creep for shelter from the cold;
they also frequent chimneys, quite regardless of the smoke and soot with
which they are often covered.
[Illustration: SPARROW'S NEST.]
The Sparrow will attach itself to man, but never sufficiently so to
overlook the precautions necessary for its safety; it is ever upon its
guard, and when angry even its inflated plumage cannot conceal the
glances of its bright and crafty little eye; the unexpected opening of a
window, the approach of a stranger, or even a stick held up like a gun,
will at once excite alarm and cause its instant flight. Unlike the Pigeon
race, this bird seems to become more wary and cunning as its intimacy
with man increases--indeed, it never seems to forget the lessons taught
by experience. Despite the clumsiness of its shape, the Sparrow has an
air indicative of considerable spirit, as it hops energetically over the
ground with tail borne aloft and head erect. The social disposition of
these birds in no way interferes with their natural inclination to pick
a quarrel upon every opportunity, and the most ludicrous combats often
take place between the males relative to the appropriation of a mate. On
these occasions, when the battle rages furiously, males and females alike
mingle in the strife, until both parties come pecking, tumbling, and
screaming through the air, to conclude the fight upon some neighbouring
roof, forgetful in their fury of the safety they usually prize so highly,
and take such precautions to ensure. During these contests they carry
the head and neck erect, the tail raised, and their wings somewhat
drooping. The Sparrow seldom flies at any great height; if perched upon
a steeple, or other similar elevation, it will drop rapidly towards the
ground before commencing its flight, rising again in a direct line when
it wishes to attain the same altitude as before, although this attempt
at soaring appears to cost the bird a great effort; it prefers, however,
living at some distance from the ground.
These birds are capable of enduring almost any degree of cold, and but
few perish even during the most severe winters. The note of the Sparrow
is extremely unpleasing; the young utter the same cry as the parents,
and are very noisy while being fed. The female is exceedingly prolific,
breeding sometimes thrice during the year. The nest, which is built
early in the spring, is little more than a rude heap of straw, sticks,
and paper, lined with feathers, and furnished with a kind of lid. Even
this slight preparation for her brood is often avoided by the cunning
female, who will creep into the nest of a Swallow, there to deposit
her eggs; and should she find a brood still occupying it, will at once
destroy the helpless young ones, throwing them over the side, to make
room for her own offspring, quite regardless of the cries of the unhappy
mother. It was once believed that the Swallow would avenge the injury
thus inflicted, but this we regard as a fable. The first eggs--generally
from five to seven in number--are laid in March; the shell is smooth and
delicate, of a dull purplish white, very variously spotted with brown
or dark grey. The parents sit by turns on the nest for about thirteen
or fourteen days; they feed the young at first with soft insects, and
afterwards with corn that has been softened in their crops, until the
fledglings are strong enough to eat seeds and various kinds of fruit. A
week after the first brood has left the nest preparations are commenced
for another, the second batch of eggs being laid within a fortnight of
the departure of the first family; and thus they go on producing brood
after brood until the end of September. Both parents are much attached
to their offspring, and should one of them die, the other will use
every effort to supply the wants of the young birds. Selby gives us a
remarkable example of their perseverance in this duty. He had observed
that a pair of Sparrows continued to carry food until winter was close
at hand, and being anxious to discover the reason of such an unusual
occurrence, examined the nest, in which he found a young bird whose foot
had become entangled, and was in this manner imprisoned, so that the
parents, unable to release it, continued to minister to its wants.
Many persons are inclined to regard Sparrows as mischievous creatures,
without considering the immense services they render by devouring
innumerable noxious insects. Frederick the Great of Prussia, we are told,
was so prejudiced against these birds that he issued a decree that they
should be shot whenever they appeared, and set a price upon their heads.
The poor Sparrows were immediately pursued in all directions, and some
thousands of dollars expended in the course of a few days by the State
as payment for their destruction. The natural result of this barbarism
followed; the trees that had been supposed to be injured by the birds
were so covered with caterpillars and other insects, as to be not only
barren of fruit, but also quite denuded of their leaves, so that the
King was at once obliged to recall his decree, and had to command that
Sparrows should be brought from all parts in order to repair the mischief
that he had done. These birds have been introduced into Australia in
the hope of their being similarly useful. Their flesh is often eaten,
and in Italy small towers are built, in the compartments of which they
make their nests; from these the young are taken as soon as fledged,
and are considered great dainties when spitted on a stick and roasted.
In old Gesner's time they were applied to a very different purpose: two
spoonfuls of burnt Sparrow was supposed to be a cure for avarice, and
the flesh of the nestlings, when applied with a little vinegar, was
considered an excellent remedy for toothache. According to Pliny, their
brains were extensively employed in medicine.
It is now satisfactorily decided that the Sparrows inhabiting Southern
Europe are to be regarded as varieties of our _Passer domesticus_, and
that the differences in their plumage are simply attributable to the
diversity of external circumstances. The colours of the male alter
considerably as it advances in age, or under any great change of climate;
the reddish brown upon the head spreading towards the nape, while, on
the contrary, the same beautiful tint upon the back becomes much more
indistinct as the black shade at the lower part of the feathers extends
and mingles with it. Thus the Sparrows of Provence and Italy, when no
longer young, resemble ours in the colour of the back; but the head is
generally entirely reddish brown or grey, the feathers being tipped with
light brown only after the moulting season. These birds are very numerous
in the warmer parts of Siberia, Buchara, Syria, Java, Egypt, and Nubia,
and are also found in the islands of the Mediterranean, especially in
Sardinia. The so-called Italian Sparrow (_Passer Italicus_) has been
considered by some as constituting a distinct species. In the old males
the top of the head and back of the neck are dark reddish brown, the
sides of the neck and cheeks white, the gorge, throat, and upper part of
the breast deep brownish black, and the sides reddish grey. The female
is of a rusty white, mingled with grey on the under part of the body,
and the markings above the eyes are much paler than in the Sparrow of
Northern Europe. This bird is principally found in the South of France
and Italy, but is quite unknown in the interior of Spain and Egypt. The
_Passer Italiae_ will often mate with our common House Sparrow--the
plumage of the progeny being a curious mixture of that of both parents.