Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-09-14


rectory Of Stanbourne. The house
is an old fashioned lathed and plast-
cred parsonage; its projecting gable
united 10y a transverse body, and
thus protected from the hot sun by
pretty verandah, covered with roses,
clemais aud woodbne The pro-
gress of the architecture of their sum-
mor visitors had been watched with
interest, year by year, by the very
worthy rector and his wife--by the
latter more especially, close obser-
yer of the habits of animals; and the
operation usually amused them for
ten days or fortnight. The swal-
low in fact is necessarily a slow
builder; for each layer Of mud he
| pieces, requires some considerable
time TO dry, before anything can be
superadded with safety. Notwiih-
standing all his caution, however the
difficult Job fails and occasionally
he has TO begin several nests anew,
before getting one TO hold. Some
folks think him an idle workman be-
cause he is seen so much upon the
wing, flashing hiher and thIiher,
with no other apparent object than
amusement but oil this time his nest
IS drying, aud he knows he must not
| ye, venture 10 touch ii.
The nests were at length complet-
cd, aud we thought there was moth
ing more TO be seen, till tho young
ones should be peeping curiously out
OF their doors al the world into which
they were called, they could not tell
how or wherefore. But one morn
ing our attention was aroused by an
unusual clatter-by sounds, there
was no doubt OF strife and running
out, we saw The stronghold OF the
swallows attacked by troop of spar.
rows, whose obvious design was to
gain possession of the ready built,
comfortable nests. We are not a.
ware that this proceeding is in ac-
cordance with the ordinary habits of
sparrows. They build sklfully their
own nests, and are more careful in
the choice of locality than the swal-
lows; and we are driven, therefore,
to the conclusion, that this was en-
tlrely an exceptional case, and that
the besiegers were colony whose
dwellings had been either rendered
uncomfortable, or wholly destroyed,
by some accidental interference Of
man or nature.
II might be thought that the mar
audIng party would have had no
chance at all with creatures so strong,
and SO wonderful quick that it was
doubtless in reference to them the
orator alluded confidently to the fact
of BIRDS being in two places at
once. But there are some consider
alions that tell 10 favor OF the spar
iu"s. r"vy 49, ...~-s u..,od body
than the others they 60 TO work in
concert, and live under fixed social
laws; when they are engaged in
plunderlng, they have outlying pick
cts to give the alarm in case of need
and they have secret courts of JUS
tice for the trial and punishment of
criminals. On these solemn occa-
slons, they betake themselves to some
solitary place--perhaps at the out
skirts of a wood; and the whole COM
pany gather and vociferale round the
offender, reproducing him, no doubt,
with his baseness. What punish
ment follows, we are unable TO tell
for this secret tribunal has its spies
and senllnels posted around, and on
the slightest alarm the court breaks
up, and changes the venue to some
more solitary spot. The very mystic
ny Of the proceedings, however, is
omInous of some terrible catasiro-
phe ; and we turn away with shud-
der from specializing on the doom Of
the guilty sparrow.
The sparrows, besides, are obslin-
ate aud determined TO the last de-
gree they think nothing Of repulse,
but return again and again to their
attempt, of whatever nature il may
be. They have a Zouavian boldness
aud impudenoe they hold in utter
contempt The laws of property and,
in fact, they have every characterst- /
ic of reckless banditiI or rowing bu-
cancers. II is not wonderful that a
body Of this nature should become
formidable by more than numbers,
even to more powerful and agie
features. In spite of the gallant
sorlies Of the gauison-in spite Of
their lightning sweeps among the en-
emy--lhc nests were sometimes
reached, and received considerable
damage aud although the besiegers
were always driven back, they were !
always sure 10 return. The swal- /
lows were al work by the earliest
dawn in repairing the breaches in
their earthworls but as soon as this |
was accomplished, the sparrows, be-
ing oil the nature of light guerilla
force, and therefore unburdened |
with commissaria,, which would /
have obliged them TO wait for sup
plies that never came, and of the or
ders of a war-minlsler who gave no
orders at all were upon them again
ia an instant.
The brave swallows, it may be
supposed, were much harrassed but,
by aud by, they had recourse to an
engineering expedient, which show
ed very extraordinary degree of in
lelligence. The sparrows they knew
had no chance with them ia person.