We see by the following account of English sparrows that any coward may
seem brave when he is with the majority:
The English sparrow has been called pugnacious. He is nothing
of the kind. He does not love a fight. Bird to bird, there is
nothing too small to whip him. I have seen a chipping sparrow,
which is the least among the pasture sparrows, send the
poltroon scurrying to shelter with all his feathers standing
on end. A cock bluebird, fighting like a gentleman, and like a
gentleman fighting only when he must, will drive a half-dozen
of them. The English sparrow has the true instincts of the
browbeating coward, and loves to fight only when in overwhelming
numbers he may attack a lone pasture bird without danger to
himself.--WINTHROP PACKARD, “Wild Pastures.”
(612)
=Craziness Indicated=--See CONCERT, LACK OF.
=Crazy Spells=--See ABSENT-MINDEDNESS.